Oh Dear... nearly a month has gone by!!

So much has been going on, it has been mayhem, and I have just had no time to update the blog.
The main thing has been that Pete and I have finally been able to announce that we are expecting a new baby hooray!!

Anyway, here goes, a potted history of the last 3 weeks and I will have to add the photos afterwards when I can.

Week 23-29 June
Not much to report this week really. Monday night I went out with my UCU friends Pam and Rebecca for a bite to eat. Then from Wednesday I was at conference in Bristol where I presented a paper which went well enough. This was my first night away from Vincent ever, (and it was two nights!) but it wasn't too bad. Was glad to get back on Saturday though.

Saturday night Ardha baby sat and we went to Lewis' 30th birthday party at the Spencer Club. It was supposed to be an early 1990s Indie disco, but the person who was supposed to DJ never on the decks and the guy who owned them was into this really awful Ragga music so we only managed to have dance to 2 good songs!! Oh well.

Week 30 June -6 July
On Monday we went to the hospital for our 12 week scan, and all was well... a lovely little baby shape and pulsing heartbeat, all looked as it should and the dates seemed to fit perfectly, with a due date of 9 January 2009. So now we were able to tell people openly which is a relief as I am getting a bit of pot belly!

On Tuesday Kathryn, Andrew and the girls arrived about half one and it was so exciting to see them and tell them our news. Juliette was very shy, but Annalise bounded around full of fun. Unfortunately, I had to zip on a train to Manchester at around 3pm as I was at a conference for the next 2 days so not much of a welcome for them. I really didn't want to go but didn't have much choice. Anyway, once there it was all okay and I had a good enough time, although SCOS is more fun when you can drink! So again, another 2 nights away, although more difficult for Pete this time as Vincent really wasn't that well and had come down with some kind of cough, temperature thingie. He didn't go to nursery on the Tuesday (worked out well because Kathryn was arriving anyway) nor on Wednesday because of his high temperature.

I had to get the 725am train back on Thursday, and back just in time to get things ready for a work colleague Mike Terry's retirement do, at which I was compering and Pete was sorting out the music for. I had put together a slide show thing with with all these old photographs, and we were doing a This is Your Life, so had a recorded message from an old colleague etc. Anyway, it all went really well.

So finally on Friday, I get to spend some time with Kathryn et al! Vincent finally began to get a little bit better over the weekend, and back to his self by Sunday. Dad arrived Friday night: we picked him up from the airport about midnightish. On Saturday afternoon, we tried to brave some of the Godiva Festival in Memorial Park, but got caught in a terrible rain storm and got soaked! What a shame for the festival, the weather was awful all weekend.

Then on Saturday night, I had planned a surprise belated 60th birthday treat for Dad... tickets to the sold out 40th anniversary reunion tour of The Pentangle in Birmingham at the Symphony Hall. We had a meal before and all the way through I was pointing to people and saying 'They look like they could be going to the same show'.. and Dad was trying to guess! Anyway, they were just fantastic.

On Sunday, Kathryn et al went to the Godiva Festival again, but Pete and I took the opportunity to laze about a bit.It is lots of fun having the girls here. Juliette is a scream, and is almost constantly singing! Her vocabulary and comprehension of words is amazing, far in advance of little Vincent's, and she catches onto songs very quickly indeed. Annalise is hilarious and very cheeky! She will do her best dances for you at the slightest request. One funny story was I was sitting having breakfast, and Annalise was too in the conservatory. Kathryn comes into the kitchen holding an empty wrapper saying 'Where is my nice soap from Lush?' and immediately under her breath Annalise says 'Oh-oh!' but so only I can hear. When Kathryn comes in and asks her if she knows where the soap has gone, Annalise said 'No Mummy' and then 'Juliette does'. Anyway, perhaps 2 hours later Kathryn and I are sitting and Annalise comes in holding the soap and says 'Here you are Mummy, here is your soap, I put it under my pillow and forgot!' Cheeky, cheeky!!

Week 7-13 July
Thank goodness Kathryn was here because from Monday onwards, I started to cough and feel gradually worse until by Wednesday night I just felt terrible. After an horrendous night of hacking coughing, I dragged myself to the doctors, and my lungs were so rattly and full of fluid, she diagnosed a bad chest infection and a course of very strong antibiotics. I have never felt so bad, I kept saying to Kathryn and Pete that I was going to die! Of course I was/am worried about the baby, and the doctor tried to hear the heartbeat with a doppler, but while she said she could see the faster heartbeat registering on the monitor, she couldn't quite get the right place to hear it. I know it can be hard to find the sound when the baby is still so small, but it would have been so reassuring if she could have done. Oh well, we have a midwife appointment next Wednesday so hopefully she might be able to find it then.

Anyway, that was me out for 3 days just in bed. Kathryn was great, cooking all the meals, and because Pete had to rush into work on Thursday, Kathryn, Andrew and Dad were able to look after Vincent so he was happy as Larry. I managed to finally get out of the house for some lunch with everyone on Sunday, but wasn't back to normal until today.

Pete had 2 auditions for different plays at the theatre on Sunday, and looks like he has definitely got a part in Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills which runs in October so that's great. He doesn't yet know which part though!

Vincent seems like he has got used to having the girls around now and it is lovely to see them playing together. I think he is still a bit bewildered though.... perhaps girls will always have this effect on him!!!