… but not sticking unfortunately.

What have we been doing?

Lots of geomags, reading (bob books - I’m paying her ), playing with Polly Pocket & babies, watching Narnia, lots of Xbox (she’s pretty good), playing Pharaoh & Zoo Tycoon on the PC, we’re listening to the Hobbit on CD & have been watching the Olympics.

We missed swimming on Monday because C has a horrid cold - we snuggled to watch the Olympics instead. On Tuesday we visited my parents & C played with Lily for hours. Wednesday was ice skating - there is definite improvement going on, it is great to see. Yesterday we had HE sports group - they did hockey which C really enjoyed (although she cried that she didn’t score a goal). Afterwards she went back with A & the children (on the bus) and played with Ernest & Buttercup for a couple of hours. I went around later & we read books & had dinner.

Today - we’ve read some more; this afternoon we have ERAPA (C is still snotty I’m going to calpol her before we go out) but are going to have to miss Girls’ Brigade because we are going to my mum’s for dinner.

And … anyone get the feeling we’ve been here before? Latest beta is 944 (19dpo), which is pretty good BUT doubling time has slowed down to 56 hours which isn’t good and is actually bad. I hate fucking betas. No more, I’ve booked a scan for 9th March, I’m not expecting good news. I’ve doubled the prometrium & increased the clexane … too deflated to think much more about it.

Well this morning as been a complete wash out - Claudie fell over leaving the house and has scraped her knees & hands really nastily. This made us late for the hospital & by the time we got there the car park was packed - 45 minutes of looking for a space later I gave up & will try again tomorrow.

Yesterday I worked in the morning, Simon looked after C - I think they played Top Trumps & read. We went to my mum’s in the afternoon & watched the Olympics - bob sleigh, figure skating & curling. We really enjoyed it! C has got a yucky cold so we have swimming a miss.

On Sunday Simon & Claudie went ice skating again (C is completely fearless and that is terrifying to watch), we did some gardening in the afternoon. Saturday was dancing - C is really getting in to the gymnastic side of it, she’s been really practicing, we also did some cooking. On Friday we went to the park for a couple of hours of scooting & climbing, the weather is finally getting less cold - much more pleasant.

On Thursday C went to an Egyptian day at the university - they looked at artefacts, read stories and did crafts. Claudie made a scarab beetle, a couple of necklaces and a brackelet. I can’t find the camera, but C had a great time.

Okay stuff:
12dpo - HCG = 80 (very good, even though the bloody nurse didn’t seem to grasp the concept that this is several days before my period is due and yes I do know exactly when I ovulated being a professional infertility patient, I really don’t want your opinion on the number I know far more about it than you - see I’m uber-bitch already pregnancy does great things for me), progesterone is great though, over 100 without supplementation!
14dpo - HCG = 205 yup 205 - holyfuck! Doubling time is under 35 hours holyfuckholyfuck. Puts me slap bang in the midtwin range. I had several mature follicles ???? holyfuck.

Another beta tomorrow, I’m on dexamethasone (we can’t afford IVIg so I’m hoping (understatement) the steroids are enough), aspirin, clexane & I started prometrium yesterday (it can’t hurt). Mt last APS panel was negative NKs were normal but who knows when/if it’ll flare up. Getting scary now.

C & I went to Helen’s for lunch. The children played in the garden & with the dolls house & we ate malt loaf

C has also done some B&P maths & is now playing Pharoh. We bought some plants yesterday & will probably plant them tomorrow (unless it rains).

Oh & …..

… well what do you know! No idea what will happen but I’m having a beta done later.

(yes it’s a really terrible picture but look I have part of a kitchen )

Well after complaining that we’ve been too busy, we ended up having a quite week.

Swimming on Monday went well, she’s so enthusiastic I feel vindicated in waiting until she is ready to start things rather than when everyone else does it. There were only three of them in the class and Claudia is getting on really well (I can’t help but chuckle at her swimming style though - if I really splash then I’ll stay afloat ). She finally finished Level 1 of StudyDog (it hasn’t been difficult, she just couldn’t be bothered to do last the few questions) so I’ve installed Level 2 & she’s racing away with that (contractions, long & short vowel sounds, and splitting words into syllables).

On Tuesday we did more StudyDog and she finished Bear & Penguin Big Maths Adventure at Expert Level, I’m going to try & get the Maths Blaster games for her. She also watched George of the Jungle (and Madagascar) & played Barbie on the Xbox. She did at least 6 hours of StudyDog & 3 of B&P over the two days; definitely an all or nothing personality.

Wednesday was supposed to be ice skating, but I’d hurt my back & because A & the kids weren’t going we had to give it a miss (cue much wailing from C ). Simon is going to take her tomorrow to make up for it.

We were back to normal on Thursday - they did quilling in the craft session & an hour and a half of indoor cricket which C adores (they’re doing hockey next time - very exciting!). We popped to Tesco afterwards then went over to As for a play & dinner (C & E had a great time, they are really getting on well at the moment, lots of laughing & silly 5yo jokes ).

Friday was freezing & C managed to chop the end of her thumb off with a tape measure . We’re bother feeling pretty coldy, C has a cough & a bit of a tummy bug, so we just stayed in the warm & pootled about.

Today is ballet (more fees due & a new leotard - that child never stops growing), the next show/exam is in June, I think C is going to do a gymnastic dance piece this time. Her dancing school do character ballet from 4 and only put the kids into traditional RAD ballet classes if they show promise. C is doing really well & I expect she will be put up at 6, but is she doesn’t I’m going to have to find another class that will take her. I think she’d benefit hugely from the discipline of the RAD syllabus.

Next week is half term & also the Melrose camp, so we’ve got another quiet week. She’s got a play day on Tuesday & Simon is taking her to an Egyptian day at the University on Thursday.

C chose the theme btw

One of the reasons that I haven’t been writing much is that we’re really busy. Claudia is so similar to Simon - one of the most sociable people you will ever meet - she adores everything & wants to try everything. Its fun & I’m glad that I’ve got a pretty well adjusted & enthusiastic child, but it is tiring (and expensive).

Mondays start with Jelly Legs. Or they should do. I’m actually going to move to the Thursday session, I do all the laundry on Monday & it works better if we’re around more most of the day. She enjoys it but I mainly send her to avoid guilt and doing very little craft at home - the house is improving (slowly but surely) but I just can’t bear any extra mess. Claudie also has her swimming lesson on Monday (Level 1) - it goes without saying that she loves it

Tuesdays we haven’t got anything arranged - I’m intending to carry on last year’s plan of one trip or visit a month, we will try and use Tuesdays for visits.

Wednesday is ice-skating; a local HE event this is a complete bargain. We went briefly last year but Claudie wasn’t very sure footed on the ice; this time Violet has taught her well. I’m saving up to get her some skates of her own.

On alternate Thursdays we have our HE sports club - we have a brilliant coach and the children do football, touch rugby, basket ball & cricket. Claudie adores cricket and is trying to get the coach to teach them golf . There’s also crafty things for the kids do to.

We’ve just started going to a new HE group on Friday. I’d been reluctant to go initially as many of the kids are much older than C, I needn’t have worried she doesn’t have any trouble holding her own! The group has great facilities, a soft play area, quiet room & art room, there is also a great outside playground. It is pretty cheap & enjoy talking to parents with older children as well - makes a break from talking about learning to read

Ballet, tap & dance are still on Saturday (much too early), she’s still getting on really well & is perparing for a medal in gymnastic dance (she was highly commended in her ballet medal exam & is pretty proud of that).

We fit in some ‘work’ (in fits and starts, C is an all or nothing personality) too. Today C has indulged her love of Bear & Penguin (Big Maths Adventure) and completed the Intermediate level in a couple for hours. She’s also spent 3 hours with Study Dog (level 2), she really enjoyed the contractions questions. She played some Zoombinis and watched George of the Jungle twice. I’ve just finished reading The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe, which she enjoyed (I didn’t really, I’ll leave the rest to Simon) and lots of Edward Lear! I’m not sure what we will read next.

I admit I’ve rather fallen out of love with HE. We’re still doing it, C doesn’t want to go to school & we don’t want her to. All the reasons that applied four years again still apply and we’ve no intention of not HEing but … I guess I’m just not very good at talking about it. Not enough angst, too simple maybe

Anyway despite all that it would be nice to record so of the things we do … so here we go, this blog *will* be about HE!

(I haven’t decided if I’m going to share the URL though!)

Ghost of a Dog still exists, it’s passworded & I’m not going to delete it but I can’t go there. This has been too deeply sad for us and although it is all neatly boxed up somewhere in my head but I don’t want to deal with it right now, maybe never … so onward & upward