fudge it

don't move. help is on it's way...

Babies rob 'two months of sleep': ...some of the new parents said they found the experience liberating, because it made them realise they needed less sleep than they previously thought they did...

bushra | permalink | |

the memory has slid during the last few months. i left my bag on a chair next to D2's desk once, and we spent ten minutes looking for it, because i had forgotten i left it there. and then there was the time i left my iPod playing all day, completely killing the battery so no music on the way home. or what about the time i walked out of boots without collecting a tenner's worth of change? anyway, what are the chances of me making it back home today with my umbrella?

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hmm. the baby is awake, i can feel it moving and delivering the odd kick. wonder if that means it enjoyed the cinnamon bagel with jam i picked up this morning?

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so hey, scan pictures from monday are up on flickr, for friends and family contacts. if however, you let your flickr account slide and are baffled by all the yahoo account merging business, email me (see the link to your right) and i'll forward them.

promise not to circulate pictures of the baby's first moments for absolutely everything in the future. unless you like that sort of thing. it'll be on flickr anyway, innit.

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to all of the two fans (if there are more declare your loyalty in the comments box, please) of part-time blog contributor J. a communication has been received:

'Oops, I disappeared again, innit. Actually, this time the computer was disconnected and in storage for rather a long time while we made substantial alterations to the house. So, apologies, etc. In fact, only last week did I have a look at your weblog to see how life's treating you (or thee, perhaps I ought to be saying by now). And lo, what a development has occurred since we last conversed. I must express my regret at not having been among the first to have heard your news and to have had the opportunity to congratulate you earlier. But let's face it, when you went off to live in northern England I suppose we all knew it would happen sooner or later. Seeing Alan Bennett at the train station, I mean. That would have left me properly starstruck. I can imagine bounding up to him with the enthusiasm of a Labrador puppy only to promptly realise that I had no idea what to say or do, while Alan stood there registering polite incomprehension and thinking, "You twat." So anyway, that is pretty impressive. No sign of Sir Jimmy yet though?'

when you've had a day as long as i have, it's well, nice to hear from an old friend, innit.

bushra | permalink | |

ouch.

<---- something about a door slamming into my forehead here ---->

it always hurts more the day after.

bushra | permalink | |

probably blogged a gazillion times already:



see more at indexed.

bushra | permalink | |

wouldn't mind seeing this: Highway shut for butterfly travel - Taiwan is to close one lane of a major highway to protect more than a million butterflies, which cross the road on their seasonal migration.

other news today, for the first time since late december i have managed to keep down a cup of tea!

and congratulations to the podite on the arrival of winston churchill. you know what i mean.

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just nicked this wiki meme off an udge and a wink, i felt like it innit:

1. Go to wikipedia and type in your birthday, month and day only.
June 2, got it.

2. List events that occurred on that day that interest you.
455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks.
1763 - Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort.
1835 - P. T. Barnum and his circus begins their first tour of the United States.
1855 - The Portland Rum Riot occurs in Portland, Maine.

3. List a few birthdays.
926 - Murakami, Emperor of Japan (d. 967)
1740 - Marquis de Sade, French author (d. 1814)
1968 - Jon Culshaw, British comedian
1980 - Fabrizio Moretti, American rock drummer (The Strokes)
1989 - Kathalena Hogsed, American Bad-ass

4. List a few deaths.
1990 - Rex Harrison, English actor (b. 1908)
2001 - Imogene Coca, American actress (b. 1908)
2005 - Melita Norwood, British spy (b. 1912)

5. List a holiday or observance. (if any)
Italy's Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day), which commemorates the birth of the Repubblica Italiana and the end of the monarchy.
Xenia name day in Slovakia.
Shavuoth (Judaism) (2006).
The death of Hristo Botev in Bulgaria.

bushra | permalink | |

saw the father in law get on my bus yesterday evening. i stared out of the window as hard as i could and pretended i was in my own world. when it came to our stop i got up early and dashed home. i'm so evil. later, when he mentioned he saw me, i told him i stick my earphones on and sit in my own world, which is why i never notice anyone.

when i got home, a neighbouring uncle had arrived to ask one of the brother in laws for the phone number of an exorcist. no lie.

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early office IM.

C: is the authority in yet?
D1: no, why - are you still behind the bike shed smoking?
C: yep, you can be the lookout if you want......actually I was put off from smoking behind bike sheds when I was bitten by a squirrel....no I'm not making it up, I had to have several tetanus injections in my ar*e and consequently now do all my smoking in public view!
D1: regard that blogged
D1: he's just walked through the door
C: oh ta. always like to help by reminding anyone that my life is worse than theirs. can you tell him to give me a ring plse? much obliged etc

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hmm. finally had my booking appointment date today. i've been gearing myself up about the bloods they take for ages. three bottles of blood, i had been told. three bottles. i didn't imagine three pint sized bottles, obviously, but three bottles, each approximately able to carry between 100ml to 250ml max (i like to be precise). crikey.

her: have you had any serious illnesses?
me: no.
her: any major operations?
me: no.
her: asthma?
me: i'm gonna have to touch wood here...

she also made a note that early appointments were good for bushra as she can go straight to work after (note to the authority: how's that for dedication?) and started asking me about working from home. i realised this was to distract me and even though i didn't watch the needle go in (ow, that really hurt) i couldn't help but watch as she filled up three ickle test tubes. yes! test tubes! all those bradford housewives gearing me up for three bottles should be ashamed of themselves! three bottles my eye! ahem. rant over. sister #2 walked me home after and it wasn't until i was sitting back at my laptop that i felt oooh, dizzy, and er, why are my legs shaking? someone had left a box of chocolates for me a few days back and i gobbled all the orangey and strawberry centred ones thinking they would do the trick. i ended up with my head resting on my laptop, Totally Out of It. but it wasn't even three bottles!

i went to sister #1's later on to challenge here about the legend of the three bottles, but apparently, these women, they like to exaggerate. in other news, the girls at sister #1's were happy when their mother returned from the weekly shop:

N: oh yes! we've got some bottles of cif!
me: ...
S: uh look, kitchen spray!
me: see, normal kids, they go looking for the chocolate!

but that doesn't matter, because today i heard the baby's heartbeat. woot!

bushra | permalink | |

sneezy.

can't stop sneezing lately, and when i say lately i'd say for oh, the last four months. apparently sneezing and colds and all things sinus related can be a problem for some pregnant women.

C: ah-choo! bushra, if this is your cold i'll kill you.
me: i told you, it's got to be a pregnancy thing. you can't catch that, can you?
C: i don't know, but you were sneezing before...
me: ah, but i always reach for a tissue first, always.
C: well i didn't.
me: so that means i could catch your cold?!
C: ...

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i nearly attacked the authority with my A4 pad this morning. naturally, he blogged it.

i had my first scan yesterday! no pictures yet. but i can confirm i have an 'active baby' with arms, legs, an awesome looking spine and a bit of an alien head. aaaaaaaaaah! also. i managed to put away enough water for the scan, and drank another bottle of flavoured water in the afternoon. as a result the water retention levels are very low and i don't look pregnant anymore! result?!

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eek. argh.

i had a booking appointment last week, and when i got there the receptionist kept giving me funny looks because she wasn't expecting me there. turned out the midwife was off sick, and as i was coming straight from work i didn't get the hand delivered cancellation, which was waiting for me back home. i got a bit nervous, as the midwives here have taken forever to get in touch in the first place, and i was panicky for the rest of the day then. i was told i was a priority but could not be given another date. gah.

earlier i got my letter for a scan, which is happening next week. more nerves. and then another letter arrived while i was out yesterday, giving me my new booking appointment date, expected to last one hour. only this time it's to take place fifteen minutes before the scan. at a different site. negotiate that, eh?

bushra | permalink | |

argh. had such a killer headache today, which i managed to relieve in the morning after a bottle of coke. first thing. with an onion bagel with cream cheese. this isn't new. i was told off for eating a packet of crisps before my GCSE maths exam as well. the funny thing was so many relatives around here suggested having a baby would be good for me, 'it might fix yer headaches'. good job i didn't believe that or i'd be on my third kid by now, and still wondering why the headaches haven't gone.

in the end i gave up some time after three and decided to go home. now, we all know how i manage to spot a-list celebs at the station, well, mainly the cast of emmerdale. i saw another face today. i wanted to text J and say I just saw Alan Bennett at Leeds station. and he was all coat and scarf exactly like the picture on Untold Stories. but:

1) i don't know if J would get that message and
2) what if he just replied That's nice.?

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as per niece #4's request:

anybody know where i can get a 'biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig fifi easter egg'?

bushra | permalink | |

just so you know: when you're at the newly installed water cooler at the office services desk, which draws you at eye level with that sign that says 'I am not part of Office Services', slightly smirking at me while asking for a projector is not funny. if i wasn't trying to set a good example these days i'd have chucked this horrible fruit juice all over you. and it smells better than the cheap aftershave you're packing too.

bushra | permalink | |

hmmm.

a month ago.

brother #4: er, can i ask you something?
me: er, sure.
brother #4: er, are you pregnant?
me: er, i might be, why?
brother #4: oh, no reason, just thought you looked like you'd gained some weight when i last saw you.
me: ...

now, every time we talk on the phone, when he wants to know how i'm doing his voice will turn all quiet and serious, 'so, you know, how are you?'

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the mister: i hope you have twins.
me: what do you mean, I have twins?

office people are having little laughs here and there, but i daren't repeat them. neighbouring office people are slowly hearing the news, and last week someone asked how it all felt. and it wasn't until then that i realised it's been a bit of a drag, actually. for example:

the sickness: oh my god, the sickness. when i fell ill with the killer cold a few weeks back i couldn't eat for a whole week, and was throwing up seven odd times a day on an empty stomach. i also learned that venturing out in the cold at this time is a very stupid thing to do, as it sets you back. i'm still unable to give up the woolly scarf. sister #2 has tried to get me to move on, but i think really it's because i'm wearing the scarf sister #1 bought me, and not the one she bought. i gave it a try today, and i suppose it will be all right.

the sleepiness: actually, can't argue with that. but it's not like it's solid sleep.

the thing with the water: i can't stand water. i haven't had a cup of tea/coffee for a loooong time. and if i'm anywhere near water, like in the bathroom, it makes me really really sick. bleh.

the back pain: oh yes. i sat there complaining to D1 about this and added 'oh and it's aggravated the old sciatica with it'. oh i could go on forever. but for the first time in a long time, i think i'm actually going to complain to anyone and everyone who listens, it'll put them off asking the next time around, innit. i've become so evil.

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i'm posting this for brother #4, i reckon it will make him laugh.

letters from brian, part 1.

He: "Is this where the wizard resides?"
Me: "Excuse me?"
He: "Mr. Wizard?"
Me: " ... "
He: "The Wizard of Oz."
Me: " ... "
He: "I have just witnessed an indiscretion by a member of the Bookmark Café staff. I spoke to the manager about it; who else should I speak to?"
Me: "The manager of the café is responsible for café staff."
He: "I spoke to the manager."
Me: "He is responsible for the Bookmark Café and its staff."
He: "Who else can I speak to?"
Me: "G is the owner and manager of the Bookmark Café; he is
responsible for the café and its staff."
He: "Who is above him?"
Me: "He is the owner and manager...."
He: "The owner is the manager?"
Me: "....and he is responsible."
He: "There is a way of speaking to somebody of above-average
intelligence; I want to know who is beyond the manager of the café."
Me: "The owner is the manager; I don't know who he answers to."
He: "Have you ever eaten a walnut?"
Me: "No."
He: "Have you ever tried to get a walnut out of its shell?"
Me: "No."
He: "That's what it's like talking to you."
Me: "There's only one nut in here, Sunshine; I'm not the one wearing
the Dungeons & Dragons sweater."

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the mister and his mother are taking part in a bradford invasion of fudgeit towers this weekend, niece #4 was very upset with me for not coming along. but the last thing you want is your family and sister in laws treating you like some revered guest (all right, maybe only the sister in laws). honest! instead, i have just managed to wrestle control of my laptop back from niece #2 who is here for a sleepover. if you're driving around bradford 9 right now and can hear some voices singing 'wooo-wooo-wooo!' don't be alarmed, we've just found our favourite road safety advert on t'internet. here's a download of another road safety tune with similar woo woos but not as good as the advert link.

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he was like, she made that mess, she can clean it...

US woman crashes into test centre: "The videotape also shows a man in a Superman costume walking around the car, but he did not stop to help the driver or any of the victims. His identity is unknown."

honest. it was a friday. what do you expect?

bushra | permalink | |

all right all right all right.

i have some news. i was going to post it on April Fools day, to keep some of y'all guessing like the last time. but, given half the known readership of this blog already knows, only fair i tell the rest of you. sister #3, that's me, is having a baby. due to land sometime in august. and unlike D1 who has taken to calling me charlotte today, she copied me, mmmkay? if you are going to get all gift like, she says, a nice cold, 500ml bottle of coke will do nicely as it's all i am able to drink right now.

anyway. it's going to be a summer of babies this year. there's the nosy neighbour back in birmingham, both her daughter-in-laws and her daughter are having babies this year, and sister in law #3 is due sometime in june. you might want to consider early hibernation to avoid all the screaming.

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