A Visit to The Vampires

If you know me well enough, you'll know that I'm petrified of needles and injections.
It all started in standard 8 Biology class. I thought I would be the brave one and volunteer for the finger prick. You know, the one where you get to look at your blood under a microscope.

Needless to say, I never got to see my own blood, because I fainted straight away and woke up in the corridor. This was the first time I had ever fainted and it was such a terrible feeling that I think my fear of needles actually started with a fear of fainting. Later that year, I had to go for my German Measles injection. I worked myself up loads for this, went for the injection, went back to maths class and about 10 minutes later had a complete panic attack. I had to go back to where they were giving the injections, and they gave me this weird bitter stuff to calm me down.

So that just set in stone this blooming new fear of mine.

Since then I've never actually fainted, and I've actually gotten a lot better. But the not-so-fond memory is still there. When I was in labour giving birth to my first baby, I'm not sure if I was screaming more for the pain of the labour, or for the thought of the huge epidural needle.

Today I had to go for my 16 week blood tests. These vampires love a pregnant woman's blood. It must taste sweeter or something!
Anyway, so I'm sitting in the little room at the Pathcare, resting my arm on the elbow pedestal and I'm trying my utmost to concentrate on something other than the obvious.
The nurse ties the tourniquet and I feel the needle prick.
"It's OK, " I tell myself, "the worst is over."
She sticks the plaster tape over the hole and tells me to press.
She turns to her paperwork and immediately says, "Oh! There are tests on the other side too!"

I look at her in disbelief. Is she joking?

I swallow hard and ask bravely, "so we use the other arm this time, I suppose?"

She says, "Are you sure you don't want me to just use the same spot? I had such a good vein in that arm, I could have taken it all!"

OH MY WORD!Is she crazy?
So I left there a bit hot and sweaty, looking like a patched up pin cushion with both arms plastered. But I didn't faint!

I'm very proud of myself!

Throwing tiredness to the wind

I am pregnant, yes, but I can't keep letting life pass me by like this.
I need to pick myself up and stop living in this cloud that I've been living in for the last 3 months.

Maybe I feel like this because I actually am starting to feel better, although it felt like the morning sickness would never end and my life would be over because I am so damn tired all the time.

I've also come to the realisation that I need to spend more QUALITY time with 'Baby Giraffe'.

The way I've been spending the days lately is with the attitude of : "Just ... more hours until I can go to sleep again." And although I am pregnant and I know I need to listen to my body, etc; I also know that it is not helping 'Baby Giraffe' much by spending time with him on a superficial level.

So, I have decided that I need to force myself to be more patient, and I need to get 'Baby Giraffe's' sleeping patterns sorted, once and for all. Seriously.

A better sleep for him means a better sleep for me. And ultimately a better day time for both of us.
This leads me to express, OH MY WORD, parenting is H-A-R-D!!!!

And something that I've been meaning to say for a long time:

"WELL DONE to all those hard-working stay-at-home moms out there!"

A few thoughts that I had today...

1. Why was that farm labourer carrying a dead animal over his shoulders on the side of the road today? Was it to take home to eat or to bury? Was it a dog, or a goat?
2. Do I help my mom enough with general things?
3. When I was younger, I was a real horder. I'm so glad I've grown up and that today I could let go of: my candle making junk, my old school books and old letters from friends that say things like: best friends forever..., really old toys that have bug colonies growing in their hair and bad water damage.
4. What on earth am I going to wear to the J&B met on Saturday next week? I haven't shopped for fancy clothes in so long, and plus I'm at that stage in the pregnancy where I feel like I'm showing, but not quite enough to look like I'm showing. I JUST LOOK FAT!
5. Cup cakes make a cool birthday gift.
6. Can't wait for the Ollivello cooking demo tomorrow morning.
7. It feels good to have shaven legs. I think I really need to do it more often. 2 months of growth is not fun. It tickles like there are ants walking on my ankles.
8. Arnica gel stinks.
9. New hose pipes suck. how do you get rid of the kinks that stop the water?
10. Looking forward to tonight, for a good meal and a good sleep. 'Baby Giraffe' is sleeping at his granny and 'The One' and I are going out for dinner.
11. Why WAS that farm labourer carrying that dead animal???