Oliver Boliver

A slice of life...

The hospital at which I'm planning to have the baby is a research hospital and I've been asked to take part in a few studies looking at how the hospital can improve services etc for pregnant women. By far the most interesting was a recent research study looking into using MRI images in pregnancies. They're researching MRI as an additional scan for problematic pregnancies and as part of the study will look at the placenta too and how nutrients pass between the mother, placenta and baby. I hadn't given it much thought but apparently there's not very much known about the placenta so this will help towards answering questions that have been posed. All very interesting stuff! I was selected for having what's considered to be a normal pregnancy so they have comparison evidence. Although there were no direct benefits for me or the baby in taking part in the study I did get to keep a collection of the best images from the scan which arrived in the post the other day.

Although I've had MRI scans for various things in the past I've never seen the images that were produced. The Research Doctor actually took us through each image after the scan and both Mr C and I were totally blown away by the detail. The differences between MRI and ultrasound is obviously vast and it is never intended that MRI would replace ultrasound since the cost is so great. But there are likely to be pregnancies where MRI is crucial since ultrasound cannot give the whole picture, particularly in relation to the placenta.

As I said the detail is amazing and I just have to share one or two of the best images:

The first one is taking a vertical slice of me from a face on position and you can clearly see the baby in a head down position.

 
The next one is a bit more obvious and is a vertical slice from a side on perspective. I must admit I do find it a bit freaky looking at my spine and altogether squashed internal organs. A friend said it reminded him of the futuristic HR Giger artwork and I find that I do agree with him! For me the black and white imagery together with the spinal column imagery is very Giger-like.

It does make you wonder how my organs manage to re-arrange themselves back into the right position after the baby is born but I guess nature finds its way!

So - not a very Christmassy post but altogether very interesting (or so I hope!) and just over 1 week left to go!

Pen x
 

 

Dear Father Christmas... (WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!)

3 is such a lovely age! Ollie has fully bought into the would be miracle that is a very generous man bringing presents down the chimney because you've been good this year. When asked what he would like Father Christmas to bring all he says he wants is a hairbrush. Bless him! After Daddy making a few sensible suggestions he decided that he would like a hairbrush and a bike too. Anything else would be surplus to requirements!

As a child, my brother and I used to write our letters to Father Christmas and then my Dad would stoke up the fire, have a good read of the letter (he has an excellent memory!) and then send the letter magically up the flue off to Father Christmas. Occassionally, there wasn't enough draught and the letter would burn instead but he always assured us that Father Christmas would know about the letter and of course, he never disappointed.

So wanting to re-cycle this family tradition of mine, Oliver and Daddy carefully wrote a letter to Father Christmas and drew some pictures of the said hairbrush and bike.

  
After a couple of secret dry runs we discovered that there wasn't enough draw on the flue to carry the letter up the chimney so instead Daddy explained to Ollie that we would carefully place the letter on the fire and then invented some magic smoke imagery which would take the request off to Father Christmas. Ollie thought it to be a brilliant idea and was so excited to see his letter burn and the magic smoke drift up the chimney!

Today we will ring Father Christmas' hotline (ie Grandpa) to check that he got the magic smoke message and find out whether he is all set for his mammoth delivery which makes FedEx look like the Pony Express, this evening.

Let's just hope going forwards that Ollie's Daddy's memory is as good as my Dad's particularly as his list becomes longer and more elaborate as he gets older!

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and hope you have a peaceful time! What family traditions do you recycle at Christmas?

Pen x

Three become two

It's a sad day for the usually Happy Cluckers....

Pam Chicken sadly parted company with us in the night and three chickens have now become two. She'd been under the weather for a little while now and when I popped her back in the coop last night I didn't think that she put up much of fight. It's hard to tell with chickens what was wrong so I hope for the sake of the other two that it was an isolated infection.

Brenda and Paula chicken are seemingly unhinged by the loss. Typical! I'll break the news to children gently later but I suspect they'll be as sympathetic as the remaining chickens! Kids!

I should have some cheerier crafting news in the next few days so do watch this space!

Pen x

A little festive crafting

 
 
I started knitting these cute little stockings ages ago with the best intentions that I was going to string them up, fill them with chocolate M&S goodies and make the kids a homemade advent calendar. It's now the 10th and I've still got another 5 to go so I don't think it's going to make the grade this year. Thankfully Gran saved the day with her traditional non-chocolate nativity scene advent calendar and Ollie is too young to know all about the badness that is really the goodness of a daily chocolatey treat in the countdown to Christmas.

Alex and Sarah are old enough to know when to pick their battles and have been dropping heavy hints about the promises made earlier in the year to make them some alpaca knitted socks. So having been distracted by my recent Attic 24 granny stripe blanket in readiness for the baby I've decided to add a little crocheted hanging loop to each one and will pop them on the tree complete with chocolate goodies instead. At least that way I can steal some chocolate out of them without feeling too much like a slummy mummy! 

The stockings are by Julie Williams at Little Cotton Rabbits and they are absolutely delightful!  I knitted mine using Rowan Pure Wool in 4ply and used 2.5mm needles, primarily because I couldn't find my other 2.75mm needle (I really must have a tidy up before the baby arrives!). I even planned on doing a little reindeer motif too but alas I ran out of time which was a shame. I'll keep the graph paper scribbles and if I get a spare moment between now and the big day I might see if I can knit one up.

 
 
I also started making some Attic 24 crocheted snowflakes way back in October. I started going a bit bonkers (although Mr C would say bit bonkers is an understatement!) and was even making them in the car whilst waiting for Sarah after school. It felt like I'd made at least a hundred! Hmm - at my last count I think there are 11! Oh well! I can't decide whether I'm going to pop them on the tree or hang them in the kitchen windows.... Choices, choices... Maybe if I make a few more, then I can do both!

 
 
Sarah's crazy choice of sock wool (middle right) has finally made it on to the needles and I'm hoping that this project at least will make it onto Father Christmas' sleigh. She's asked for them to be long in the leg so she can wear them with her short Uggs so fingers crossed there will be enough wool in the 150g skein the Artesano Hummingbird comes in.

I've also promised Oliver a cute pair of dino gloves for Christmas. How cute are these? 

 

The wool has arrived and there's still 15 days left to Christmas and I suspect there will be tears if they don't make it on FC's sleigh.... No pressure eh?

Right - off to trim the tree; now, where did I put those snowflakes??!!!

Pen x

You know you're 8 months pregnant when......

 
1. You've actually got used to the taste of Gaviscon
2. You recognise that you're on and off the toilet so often that the seat remains warm
3. A "good night" is no longer a reference about a night on the town but sleeping for more than 4 hours straight
4. The indignity of your husband putting your shoes and socks on for you is a better prospect than falling head first into the hall radiator trying to insist on doing it yourself
5. You can no longer sit in swanky restaurant booths unless your friends don't mind you resting your baby belly on the table top
6. Shaving in the shower is strictly "if needs must" basis and if so it's a pretty risky blindfolded task going forwards.....
7. Meal choices are carefully weighed in against a score of 1-10 for resulting heartburn and indigestion
8. You hitch your pants up every 20 minutes and builder's bottom has become fashion forward

Very nearly there - the home straight has now arrived and only 4 more weeks to go!!! Yippee!