storbarnsförälder

My midwife's backup midwife came today. It had to be today, because Rob had some time off in lieu and won't be able to come from Google for antenatal appointments and today is his last day in the local job. She was pleasant and it was a useful meeting; now I know that if she's the one we get when it all kicks off we all know each other and what the situation is and she knows where we live and so on.

This is Rob's last day of being gone 7:45 to 17:15 - from now on, it'll be about 06:55 to 19:10, which is a bit longer for me and the children (I am having trouble doing sums but I think it's 9h30 vs 12h15). We've sorted out frozen meals for the first week or so while we find our feet. And today I'm doing very little; the fall off the train did have an effect on my general well-being, in that my SPD is sharper and my BH contractions are more frequent and stronger, though those not as much today as yesterday, so I think that will ease off soon. Some things are going to be complicated as the SPD gets worse though, such as getting the children to swimming and Girls Brigade (I already need to be extremely well to get them to ERAPA, and they don't like travelling in the heat or rain so we haven't been going much).

I need to hang laundry; I spent this morning cuddling Emer, who was very upset that she hadn't been allowed to get up in the nighttime and play so that she wouldn't fall asleep and have bad dreams. Instead she slept on Rob, until he lay down, and we all slept in awful painful positions in the big bed, Rob with his feet on the pillow and me facing the wrong way with my hips twisted nastily and Emer sprawled out between us. Actually, I think Emer's position was fine from her point of view, but from mine it was painful! So this morning I haven't done my minimum housework, and I ought to, because then I can do nothing at all with a clear conscience.

It's also my last evening off for a while, I think; Rob will come home, take Linnea to Girls Brigade, and take Emer swimming, and I will have almost two hours to myself. Next week I'll have to take them both to GB and of course I won't be able to to take E swimming so we will just wait - possibly if the library is open for some of it we can go there. There's even a possibility that Rob would be home from work in time to collect L from Girls Brigade, depending on the culture in that office; a lot depends on who gets to leave on time and who stays late to deal with transatlantic meetings and so on, and who Rob needs to be with for his first week while he's picking up the ropes.

The biggest bonus is that Rob is no longer going to be unhappy in his work. That will revolutionize evenings and weekends, no kidding. Even just having handed in his notice made a huge difference; actually working somewhere he likes will make a bigger one. The children are beginning to come around to the idea too, though Emer is a bit upset ("I will neber see Daddy at dinner again EVER!") and I'm pretty sure that when the new improved Rob shows up they'll be as enthusiastic about the change as we are.

I cut the nailvarnish out of Linnea's hair with my sewing scissors. She has a rather shorter, less even bob than she ought, now, but since she needed a haircut anyway it could be worse. She herself is enraptured with the new look.

Linnea and Emer cleaned up the mess a bit so they were allowed out this evening. They had a snack instead of dinner before going; we shall have to eat late tonight but that's better than me not getting any time off at all.

I want a big coloured drink with straws and paper umbrellas and, as Emer says, "Oso, a bit of orange on the side of the glass. Some drinks are like that." But I will make do with another clementine.