The good and the bad...

Sometimes Chris and I wonder if it was a bad idea us getting together, we have had so much thrown at us since we met, within the first three months of us being together I had been made redundant, lost my dad and Chris had lost his house.
Things have never really changed since then, it has always been one thing after another, when we returned from our honeymoon we were told Chris’s dad had cancer, he underwent a massive operation but nearly dies in intensive care on several occasions during the following weeks.
Chris’s Nanna had a spell of collapsing and being taken to hospital at the same time as this so we spent quite a lot of time visiting different hospitals.

Of course we also had some good things, I fell pregnant and we had Imogen who is amazing (yes I’m biased lol), my sister-in-law had a little boy around the same time who we love to bits also.

Niece Claire has lived with us a number of times, each time driving us mad but improving with each return, she’s with at the moment but is looking to move out and this last time has been fairly hassle free.

I have to say though this last 6 months has been the worst ever, in March Nanna became ill, was taken into hospital to have her bowel unblocked and it was discovered she also had cancer.

In July it became clear the end was close, the family gathered to sit with her and say their goodbyes.
On the Monday evening Chris’s mum and her partner went home to shower and change, they were met by the police who told them her partner’s son had been found dead in his flat. He was only 40 years old; his kidneys had just stopped working.
On the Tuesday afternoon Chris’s uncle left us with Nanna to go home and shower and change, when he got home he died of a massive heart attack.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning Nanna slipped peacefully away.

Two weeks later Chris’s dad who had been told he had 12 months to live in January began to get poorly, He sadly passed away at the beginning of September.

I don’t know how but Chris has coped amazingly, I am so proud of him.



On Monday this week we discovered we are going to have another baby!
Its VERY early days, I will be due the end of May.
It almost feels wrong to be happy about it after this past year but we are, we have something new to look forward to, maybe now I’ll be posting more, I haven’t known what to say its all been so awful.
So be happy for us guys, we have a little spark of happiness in the midst of a year of hell and please please send me Boy vibes, that would just be perfect :0)

I know I know...

Its been ages again, i will get better i promise!

We have so much going on at the moment there is barely time to turn the laptop on never mind post a blog!

We have two family members who are dying. Both Nanna in law and FIL have cancer and have been told its terminal. FIL isnt so bad as yet but Nanna is deteriorating. Its so sad.

Neice Claire has moved back in again, for those that remember my posts from her living here on any of the previous 4 times she has grown up a little at 21 and so far (5 days in) things have been good.

However we do only have a 2 bed house with us and Imogen in it already so last week was spent emptying the cellar which i had turned into a room just before i met Chris and he then moved in and its been full of our rubbish ever since.

On top of all that we have the usual family and friend obligations, we are at a friends wedding on Saturday, Neice Sydneys 4th birthday is only a couple of weeks away, my 2 best friends are pregnant again due in May and July.

And of course there's Imogen...

I have been watching her turn from this...

Into this!

Along the way she has had her first haircut!

Moved up into the big pram :0)

Had her cousin Sydney over for a sleepover!

There's obviously so much more but i'm already turning into a bore who goes on and on about their child, maybe when i go back to work i'll have more to talk about lol

See i'm still here!!!!

Chris is watching the football, Imogen is sleeping peacefully in her cot and i am here, feels like ages!

I suppose i should try and do a proper update!

Sooooo, well we had a girl lol, she's gorgeous and wonderful and beautiful, just in case i hadnt mentioned it before....

She is almost 4 months now and a sturdy 12lb 7oz at last weigh in, she is learning to stand and sit and becomes more and more fun every day. She has had 2 lots of injections wich she loved...not lol and has an ongoing skin problem which she has been referred for and is currently under control with steroid cream which is not a long term solution, it's probably eczema as both mummy and daddy have it....

She was sleeping through with one late night feed at 6 weeks old and as of a week ago sleeps through from 7pm to 7am...happy days!
She is in the main a happy little soul, very smiley when happy, not much in the way of giggles yet but she has definately found her voice and wakes Chris most mornings with her babblings, very cute :0)

I will post some more photo's and bore you more but have just had my laptop overhauled and no longer have access to the drive where we store them so it will have to wait for now!

Neice Claire is 21 on Sunday, i cant believe it! We have organised a party as her gift as her mum and stepdad arent the type to bother and what 21yr old doesnt want a party??? She has had a good week really as she has finally got her car on the road too, unfortunately already had her first bump too but nothing serious thankfully.

Chris and i havent been up to much, with the economy the way it is and a new baby there is a distict lack of time and funds for anything exciting but we're happy enough at home most of the time.

We bought ourselves a Wii for christmas and Chris bought me a Wii Fit for my birthday and my sister bought me and R4 for my DS so lots of gaming of one kind or another going on, i'm still addicted to Civilisation on the PS3 too which was a christmas present from Chris.

It looks like i'll be going back to work part time in July as strangely it works out the best financially with my sister in law and i looking after each others respective children, am sure those that know me at all are chuckling at the thought of me looking after two babies, who wouldve thought it lol

I have videos and photo's of them both to post...i will get round to it i promise, assuming i have any readers left with my prolonged absences.

Introducing.......

Imogen Mary Hall!

Yes guys it's a Girl :0)

She was born 4th November only one day overdue so we didnt have to wait too long and she is absolutely gorgeous (and yeah i know i'm biased lol)

Imogen with Daddy

Imogen meets her cousin Sydney

Can't tell you how happy we are, expect lots more pics :0)

Just under...

....2 weeks to go!

I've been a very bad blogger and havent posted. I'm at home now and Chris was off work poorly with me for the first week which once he started to feel better was really nice :0)

We're both fed up of waiting now, i feel like i have been waiting for this baby FOREVER!

Thank you so much for all the comments! And welcome to the black box visitors, i will get round to visiting everyone this week in between washing baby clothes :0)

Is there only me that if i had to shorten Imogen would shorten it to Gen????

6 weeks to go!

and i know i'm not posting much, it's not the lack of things to say i'm just tired...

All those people out there who have been pregnant or who have kids will probably know where i'm coming from.

Its so weird how doing next to nothing makes you feel like you have run a marathon! (not that i would ever be guilty of that lol)

Anyway baby and i are fine if not knackered, the family all seem fine at the mo, couple of minor hospital visits but nothing to worry about.

I'm still at work, 3 weeks and counting till i finish!

Other than that we have finally (almost) finished decorating the dining room, the worst room in the house, how many rooms that are about 12ft square have three doors and a window to take into account grrr

8 weeks to go....

So i suppose i should at least try to update!

I went to the second hospital eventually to be told it was definitely shingles, the nice doctor having purposefully burst some of the sores on my head so he cound take a swab...nice

They then gave me a prescription for shingles medication which they told me to collect but not to take until they had phoned as they werent sure i could have it being pregnant....

They eventually confirmed i could take them later on that night which was a relief, immediatley replaced by the worry that i had been given an appointment to go to yet another hospital the following day to see an eye specialist as it was near my eye and can apparently cause blindness....great!

It all turned out fine, i did have just the one sore on my eyelid but it never made it into my eyes and there was never any danger of me losing my eyesight at all, or at least thats what they told us!

3 days in 3 hopsitals and 3 weeks off work and here i am back at work and back to normal!

Well unless you count the fact that Pug has a new trick if putting limbs between ribs and/or putting pressure on my back so am thoroughly uncomfortable but not poorly!

Just to clarify for Stacie, Joshua is not my baby but a friends and yeah you saw the timeline correctly....8 weeks to go....

Still here!

I'm a lot better :0) I will update early next week but in the meantime thought i would share this photo of Niece Sydney meeting baby Joshua....awwww!

Just an update

So i was going to post a gorgeous photo of Neice Sydney meeting baby Joshua on Sunday but its on my phone, as soon as i get chance i'll put it on!

In the meantime to answer some comments, no i havent had any weird cravings as yet but i have gone off meat a little bit, the strange thing is its only proper pieces of meat for example a chicken breast or a chop etc

Put a burger or a crappy sausage in front of me and i'm quite happy lol

I've also started eating stuff i used to eat which i havent for ages because they were snacky type things i had as a quick fix when i lived alone and obviously i dont live alone anymore and Chris wouldnt eat them anyway!

As for movement, yes you'll be pleased to know there is plenty, as i am sitting here typing this baby is happily kicking away :0)

Chris has just about managed to feel 2 kicks on the outside the other day but they are still pretty much only felt by me.

The baby is VERY high up so i dont have a massive belly, if i'm honest it just looks like the flab i had before! I am sure when it drops i will look like i have ballooned overnight!

I have the midwife tomorrow morning for the normal check up and quick listen to the heartbeat and then on Monday morning i have to have the test to see if i have gestational diabetes

This means from 10pm Sunday night i can have nothing but "plain water" then i go to the hospital Monday morning for a glucose drink to see if i fall over!!

We're not particularly concerned about it, i havent shown any symptoms so far but my brother was diabetic and my dad had middle aged onset diabetes so its just a precaution.

I have only yesterday begun to get swollen ankles which i'm amazed at as i sit on my backside at a desk all day but hey ho swollen ankles, heartburn and tiredness arent really much to complain about (unless i'm really tired lol)

I have just over 11 weeks left and i'm already bored, just over 8 weeks left at work and counting the days, no doubt when baby comes i'll be rushed off my feet and wishing i were back in work!

I know...

i am being a very absent blogger lately.

I do actually have some stuff i wanna write about such as when we went to watch Jeremy Kyle, my FIL's good news, update on the doctor situation and of course the whole being pregnant thing.

I will get to it as soon as i learn to deal with this damn heartburn!