Long Weekend! Airshow and Wedding

Well just a quick update, was at a friends wedding on Saturday, was good to see people we hadn't seen for ages. My only bugbear was that due to the wife's op she's still banned from driving, which meant that i was completely unable to drink as i was forced to do the "driving thing". Ordinarily I'd have stayed locally and it wouldn't have been an issue, but with the baby in tow, and a family outing on Sunday i figured the best bet was just to get some kip in our own bed before the next day.
Bamburgh castle was fabulous, really nice and well suited to the civil ceremonies, the "Scottish invasion" was successful and kilts were worn by all the menfolk involved in the wedding (making me glad I wasn't!)
Congratulations to the pair, i really can't believe I've been married two years already, and there's a sprog in the cot. God that's flown over.
I'm too shattered to blog about what we did on Sunday with the family, but I'll say this. Sunderland International Air Show, 5 Adults, 3 Children (0-3) a picnic and a rising tide!
Here's one of the video's i took, it's a small clip from an F16 flypast that was jaw dropping.

Tired!

Oh so very tired... I really can't explain it either. Elliot is sleeping well (not that she wakes me up crying at night anyway) I'm getting plenty of sleep, i've been in bed far earlier than i used to be and i'm not working long hours. So i really can't get to grips with why i feel so drained.
I'm normally a very yawny person anyway, but things have been getting daft this last week or so.
I took a few minutes break this morning to get away from the computer screen but within a few seconds i was feeling like i was drifting away and almost asleep. I'm lucky i didn't fall off my chair. Thankfully no-one really noticed at all.
In between my spurts of wakefulness and tiredness i've watched another episode of dexter (hilarious monologging - if that's actually a word.. god i love Disney - and quirky humour.) And the final Episode of Heroes Season 1 was shown on Monday evening (Sci-Fi ftw!) and WOW! what an awesome way to end a series... quite literally with a bang.
Some friends have been trying to tell me how awesome Lost has been but frankly since Sky One got hold of it and Virgin stopped carrying Sky One, i've not really felt it's loss (no pun intended). I might try to get my hands on the DVD's but really don't know if i'll bother.



Just for those who have no idea what the hell Heroes is.. i reccomend you keep your eye on BBC2, i believe they are starting their First Season run this month (the 22nd is ringing bells with me)

Dexter

Well i've just been watching the pilot of a series called "Dexter" on FX, it's an interesting new series that was shown last year in the states, but has only just begun it's run in the UK.
It's a slightly offbeat series, personally i'd call it a dark comedy. If you've not heard anything about it at all try this the clip above is the american trailer for it.
It's all about a forensic scientist that has a slight problem... he's a serial killer, but not just any serial killer, he stalks killers himself and kills them before the police find them. I've only seen the one episode so far, and i dont want to spoil things by giving the plot away. All i will say is that the monologues and quirky script had me in stitches, very reminiscent of American Psycho.
I really do suggest you take a look if you get chance! Fab!

Do i feel any different?

This is one of those questions that EVERYONE seems to throw at me since Elliot's arrival. My initial response was pretty short and succinct. But I've had a few days to think about exactly what's happened so far and whether i really do feel any different now I'm a father.
Yesterday i changed my answer slightly, i told Dom (and i quote) "I've had nine months to get used to the idea of being a father, if i wasn't ready now i doubt i ever would be."
and I've spent the evening thinking upon that. I would guess the truthful answer to the question is quite simple, it's a one word response beginning with Y and ending with S, but that really doesn't quite get to the heart of the question. It doesn't even give people an answer that they can dissect or consider.
However It's deeper that that, much deeper, you see the answer I've been giving is No. And even now five days in i am still sticking to my guns and saying No, i feel no different at all. The fact is that i have felt the way i do today about Elliot since the day i found out she'd been conceived. I really can't be any more truthful than that. To expand on what i said to Dom, i think it's just a case of saying. No, I do not feel any different than i did before she was born. But i will freely admit that whilst i do not feel different, i do think differently.
I think more about what can i do that will make her or Billie more comfortable, i ponder upon what more i can do to help them both, i wonder what she will look like in 1 week, 3 months, 12 months, 4 years, her 18'th birthday.
I look into her eyes and i know that i am going to be the most weak willed father there is, no matter what she wants, she can have it.
But no, i do not feel differently, i felt this way since the second i was told we were having a baby.

Welcome to the new world order

Baby Elliot!

http://babyaven.blogspot.com/2007/06/elliots-arrival.html

I'll leave it quite simply at that for the time being, there's a story to tell, but right now isn't the time for it i'm sure.

To everyone that's been texting me over the last few days/weeks, the wait is finally over!

Thank you everyone!

I realise now that my last post

was actually quite pre-emptive. It seems that the last couple of days have flown by and the "contractions" have actually been nothing more than "braxtons", sadly this has meant i've been at work repeatedly (though it's actually a burden i have partially enjoyed). God knows when things will change and the baby will arrive, but it's probably quite safe to say now that it's probably going to be soon.

Interesting or perhaps not

Well it's entirely possible that this whole labour thing might actually start some time soon. we've gone through plenty of braxtons and cramps etc.. but we really don't know quite when things will start.
I've been in a foul mood today so i phoned ahead when i left work to warn her, to be greeted by someone just as frustrated on the other end of the phone. It seems she's been having cramps repeatedly this afternoon, but they dont presently seem to be worsening or anything. So god knows what's going on to be quite honest.
I'm still in a bad mood, but now at least that means there's two of us being quite grumpy lol.

Well that's +5 days!

And still absolutely no sign whatsoever! (is that a real word? doesn't look right all combined like that) No broken waters, no cramps, no pains, no aches...
I'm starting to wonder just when exactly this little blighter intends on arriving. Today (18th) is our anniversary, we've been married now for two years. (cotton? someone suggested i believe) I really can't think of a more useless anniversary gift. Gold, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Silver etc.. i understand, but cotton? paper? card? Those just sound like pathetic excuses to make people buy cards and gifts for each other! Which is also something we've decided not to do this year. In my own personal belief it sets a bad precedent, as i very much doubt we'll ever start up the gift buying again. But i guess we've got something else to look forwards to spending money on at this time of year.
I was also made aware today that depending on it's arrival date it may well not be the Gemini expected. In-fact it would be a Cancer, though i have to admit i know nothing about star signs (outside my own) and have little belief in their stated attributes, though i do know from experience that most people are quite convinced my "Scorpio" attributes are quite telling. So i'm going to do some research and find out exactly what these star signs may mean for my offspring.

Well this puts us into the positives... hmmm

Well when i posted yesterday afternoon (well today really but seeing as i'm posting again after midnight it really is tomorrow!) i was hoping in my heart of hearts that the due date would be the day i met my offspring. However the evening has passed without any sign of the happy event (with the exception of a few kicks and movement) so as we cross into the T-Plus 1 day mark i guess i should just buckle myself in for the ride.
All these midwives and mothers that repeatedly said "your first is normally late" appear to know what they're talking about. Now honestly the only good thing i can find about this is that judging by the weather i'd rather he/she didn't arrive this week, i'd rather enjoy my paternity leave with a little sunshine so we can bond in the sunshine! But frankly i'm getting frustrated at work now. Nothing at all to do with the work, just the fact that i think in my minds eye i've already forseen this coming break and have planned what we'd be doing today with our newborn. But as per normal the control is removed from my hands and passed firmly into the realm of fate.
What an utter bastard! Well wish us luck! I'll try to post updates daily, i'm actually quite enjoying the calming effect of being able to get the frustration out without anyone caring about the webspace i waste (well possibly with the exception of Google, Blogger and the providers that make this space available!)
Oh and Sister! Enjoy texting me because i'm going to make sure when or if you have one of these things i will rub it all back in tenfold! :P

T-Minus 0 days!

Though the signs of labour seem to be nowhere in sight. Most recent contact indicates that she is in fine fettle and has no intention of birthing today.
Sadly until the "event" begins i'm stuck at work, so i'll keep this short and succinct. Frankly i want to be at home with my wife, but frustratingly as HMG only deem 2 weeks leave to be appropriate that's impossible at this time.
With all the fuss over pensions at the moment you'd think that the government might cut fathers to be a little slack at the moment. Seeing as we're in the middle of a "Baby Boom" (i have my doubts but the sensationalist media; ok i don't really mean that but i thought it was funny! have informed us that there is indeed a boom of babys presently) One might think that it would be sensible to encourage those of us that want to procreate to have more children who will work to pay off our pensions over the next 70 years. But it seems even the sensible decree to allow fathers to be four weeks paternity leave has been rejected. Four weeks! for gods sake it's not like the time isn't needed. But then as men we are second rate citizens these days, not even needed for procreation apparently.
That'll do for now, it's not as if my complaints will change anything, perhaps i should consider becoming an MP!

T-Minus 1 Day

Or at least that's the way i figure it? Due tomorrow therefore today must be plus 1 day? I got myself all confused and thought tomorrow would be plus 1 day but after a relatively longwinded conversation with myself i've decided i was wrong.
Well today has thus far passed with little to no incident. Aside from the fact that i was at work all day (though i wouldn't call a 6 hour day a full day!). I got home this evening to find the in-laws were here, sadly they didn't stay long. But they did stay just long enough to half inch (albeit with my permission) my Firefly series DVD's. frustratingly i was looking forwards to watching the "Serenity" pilot tonight, so i'll have to make do with something else to fall asleep to (hopefully something more entertaining than listening to Billies snores!)

There's been a few "events" tonight, mainly the occurrence of what we believe to be a few Braxton Hicks. It's all fun though, so i think i'll go get some sleep now. Will post again later if there's any news.

Ooooh.. wonder if there's any CSI on...

T-Minus 2 Days

Yup, it's getting close now! The bump has been pretty vocal tonight with plenty of kicks, squirms and movement but no sign of any "Braxton's" so presently there's little sign of any impending birth type events!
We've been talking about names again, i think we're pretty much decided on the names we like, it's just now a case of waiting to see whether they're suitable. I'm sad to announce that i will not be allowed to name the child Elmo and paint it red, my protestations that we should try and get the newborn onto sesame street as a replacement for the puppet have fallen on deaf ears!
I shall post further announcement tomorrow evening.

T-Minus 5 days

Assuming that the little blighter arrives on time (as such neither late, nor early!) then the delivery can be expected at any point on Wednesday of next week. It's quite amazing when i look back and think about how long i've been waiting for this moment.
I have to be completely honest and say that as of this moment i'm really not phased, worried or even the slightest be scared about the coming whirlwind of activity and shock we're about to undergo. Frankly i think i'm slightly stunned in anticipation.
The nursery is done and the house is in relatively good shape, so it's all just a waiting game at the moment. In an effort to distract myself as much as is possible from the strangeness that is coiled and ready to occur i have been spending my online time playing a number of games. I'll list them for ease:

• Company of Heroes - i'm afraid i am still absolutely pathetic at this game versus other players. I always thought i was pretty good at RTS games, but the manner in which people seem to dispatch me i think it's relatively clear that my performance is definitely below that which i believed.
  
• ARMA (Armed Assault) - Wow! just literally WOW! i remembered Op Flashpoint being a fantastic game, i regularly used to play it repeatedly and discuss my exploits with Ryan, but i've been utterly blown away by ARMA. I have only just started playing the single player campaign tonight (for the last four hours) and i have to say that it's just as good (if not far superior) to the original. In this one you even get to pick and choose auxillary missions to improve your chances in the main missions. Wow! simply amazing, the depth is fantastic. There's been a couple of missions so far where i've been at the point of death and crawling 2000m to an evac point with a chopper and infantry chasing me in the pitch black because my legs have been shot out from under me. Well done Codemasters, fantastic work!
• Battlefield (2, 2142 & Vietnam) - Now i wont review these, but they're simply the best FPS action to be had for pickup and play killing. I'm not a massive fan of Vietnam or 2142 but they're great for taking your mind off things with a few good kills.
  

A friends informed me that he's ordered IL-2: 1946 so i think i'll install that again this weekend if i get chance, i've got so much planned but what's the odds that as soon as i start having some fun the littleone will make it's presence felt and force us to spend some time debating whether labours started!

I'll leave it at that for now, oh other than Vastian, if you're watching... YES i'd love to give you a hand. Personally i've been thinking about doing something similar but for book reviews. With my wife being in the trade we've got hundreds of books lying around, that we've either read or ignored. I'm tempted to start Archiving them and writing reviews myself. So your ideas piqued my interest despite being a slightly different topic.

D Day - Anniversary

I've just realised i completely missed this anniversary, I've had so many things buzzing around my mind recently that i really didn't even notice the sixth had been and gone.
So with a mind looking back now i'm just going to post a poem. Quite apt i feel, i found it posted on the BBC History websites.

Do not call me hero,
When you see the medals that I wear
Medals maketh not the hero,
They just prove that I was there.

Do not call me hero,
Now that I am old and grey,
I left a lad, returned a man,
They stole my youth that day.

Do not call me hero,
When we ran the wall of hail,
The blood, the fears, the cries, the tears
We left them where they fell.

Do not call me hero,
Each night I stop and pray,
For all the friends I knew and lost,
I survived my longest day.

Do not call me hero,
In the years that pass,
For all the real true heroes,
Have crosses, lined up on the grass.

By Rob Aitchison

To all those Veterans irrespective of nationality or the battles in which you fought.

Here's the semi finished pic!

As the title said, semi finished pic here. The wardrobe is behind the door. Just need to put the sheets on the cot and shove a couple of shelves up. After that we're done! Well with the exception of missing a baby to put in the room! Though it will actually be sleeping in our room for 6 months i'm led to believe the nursery is a necessity!

The morning before

Well this is what the nursery looked like this morning, very little done other than the painting, carpet and the curtains. The inlaws were up today though and finally the basics are up. The room isn't too big at all so it's impossible to show the whole room in one shot will post the semi finished pic later

Well the rooms still not finished!

The carpet stretching will be done tomorrow! (Which sounds like some bizarre sexual event that the lesser spotted female homosexual might be found engaging in) This in itself means that by the end of tomorrow the room should be completely done, possibly with the exception of shelves. This is because we have only really just decided that a bookshelf is necessary (Though considering the other halves trade it's really suprising it took us so long to settle on putting one up).
I've finally uploaded an image though viewers must take into account that the image is roughly 2 months old so the bumps is probably at least 1/3rd larger than it appears here.
I'll post an image of the room as soon as it's done

Can't stop to natter but

Oh my gosh! 3 weeks to go on Wednesday and she who must be obeyed finishes work the same day, so finally i will be able to relinquish control of the hoover for a wee while! (at least so i hope!)
It's all getting incredibly real and close now!
Just a quick note to say thanks for the snapvine message Kyle, "The Final Countdown" had me in stitches, though she didn't have a clue what the hell i found so funny.
I'll post a few pics of the nursery when it's completely finished. The carpet was laid on Sunday so it just needs a few days to bed in before it's stretched and cut again, then we can finally move the furniture in there.
I did pull a bunch of pics off my phone earlier but i've been informed i'm not allowed to upload a piccy of her she's feeling a little stressed over the size of the bump these days. sorry.. ;)

Anyway, i'll post another update soon

5 Weeks to go

Until the big day, and i wasn't feeling nervous until this evening. When she who must be obeyed arrived home, it was immediately clear that her meeting with the midwife this morning had gone fairly well. The birth plan was discussed and decisions made, decisions which apparently i had no right to question or debate. Though that's not really an issue, I'm happy to do whatever makes her most comfortable at the time considering what it is she's going through for us.
So, my evening dragged on as i endured first ER and then CSI: Miami (there's something about the Miami series that i just can't abide). Though still being awake at 11 did have a plus side, as i was able to catch part of an episode of Boston Legal, which is something I've never seen before but I'll probably make an effort to at least record some of them in future.
I also was forced to check up on paternity leave procedures in my workplace and realised that i had successfully failed to notify my employer in sufficient time to actually entitle me to take my paternity leave entitlement from the newborns date of birth. (Though i am hopeful we can work around this oversight as i was never directed to this until too late!) I seems to me incredibly unfair that a father is only entitled to 2 weeks paid paternity leave. A fathers role isn't something insignificant. It's no longer the case that all women stay at home and/or that all menfolk earn more than their female counterparts. Women's lib and equality for all has ridden that pony right into the ground. So why is it that the father is still only entitled to two weeks paid leave (and the rate of pay is purely employer dependant!) Those of us who work earn the same money as the women who have children, we work the same hours (in many cases) we do the same job, and yet we are not entitled to 6 or 9 months off work (paid). We aren't even entitled to a month off with our newborns. No, we must console ourselves with the knowledge that we are merely second class citizens, we cannot give birth to the child nor can we take a decent amount of time off to bond with the child.
It seems to me that it's about time fathers were given the right to at least two months paid leave with their newborns, I'd argue for 6-9 months, but i think we all know there's no way on earth the government would ever push that bill through the commons.
I look at my own situation, being that I'm desperately looking forwards to the next chapter of my life with my wife and newborn (oh and the dog!) and yet somehow i feel completely belittled by society for wanting to spend some time to bond, and simply adapt to family life as a father before being forced to return to work for the rest of my living days in-order to support this new family unit. I work for a living, i have never been in the position of relying on the state to pay my way in life, though i can't help but feel that if i did i would at least be allowed the time i desperately crave with my family. Despite the fact it would be at the expense of the general public.
I think I'll leave this moan now, i could continue but it's pointless, this site isn't read by anyone and even if it was my grumbles wont get me anywhere, nor am i sure what I'm saying is actually articulate.
For those of you living in one of those wonderful European countries that do allow fathers more paternity leave than the UK, spare a thought for us Brits.

Shitty cold!!

Went to bed feeling like crap, with a cold (man-flu i should like to point out) and woke up feeling like a freight train had ran me over during the night. In a valiant effort to "get on with things" such as is demanded by she who must be obeyed, I went to work early. However after four painkillers, and a bunch of phonecalls to colleagues north of the border i decided i'd had enough and couldn't endure the sinus pain any longer.
So i've been sitting on the sofa for the last two hours moping around. Thankfully however my special edition box set of Firefly arrived this morning so i've been watching them trying to watch my way through the pain.
Stupidly in my dosed up dozy state i failed to realise that the box was far easier to open and in fact didn't even require opening, so i've damaged it slightly, but i'll forgive myself for that this time. In truth i've had a bit of a dangerous few weeks when it comes to damaging things! less about that for now though! ;)
So i just thought i'd jump on here and vent some steam by moaning about this stupid god forsaken cold! I'm not particularly bothered about colds after a few days once i dry up, but the wiping and rubbing every 10 seconds drives me bloody crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :/
Spoke to Mesh today, fingers crossed the new machine should be here on Thursday all being well. They said the order wuld be shipped tonight, though i'm not 100% inclined to believe them. Just need to find a disk with MS office on it now, i can't decide if i want to use open office or whether i should just go with MS Word & Co for ease.

Painting day!

Just got into bed, have spent the entire day painting the nursery with my mother under the control of her who must be obeyed. I'll post pictures of the finished nursery room when we finally get the furniture and shelves in the room and done.
Quite suprisingly we managed to get four coats of paint on the room in just a under five hours. The room itself was a tip site less than three weeks ago, full of old furniture, an old bed unit, boxes of old computer hardware, software and dusty bags of dusty toys, board games and old consoles. accompanied by a strange set of dolls, teddy's and just basically crap that my wife and i have collected over the last 27 years of our lives.
It had a very heavy coat of a turquoise matt paint on it, that's been on there since we moved in and decorated it 8 years ago. However today it's gone from Turquoise, to light green, to white, to faintly blue then finally to "Seafoam" ii'd link to the colour but i can't find it listed on any decorating sites!
Just waiting now for a few of these things to be completed.

1. Picture rail needs replacing in a small corner area, possibly along with a new skirting board
we've boxed off some pipes that were fitted for a new radiator and it would seem sensible to try and make this box appear to be as much a part of the room as possible. These also need to be glossed asap.
2. Cot and Small Rocking Horse haven't yet been delivered
3. Carpet needs to be replaced
4. Wardrobe, Chest of drawers and toybox/blanket box need to be put into the room.
5. Bookshelves to be installed

The list is getting smaller but the biggest impediment is that we kindly aren't doing all this work ourselves. in-fact we've done little ourselves, the in-laws on both side have been bearing the brunt of this work. the door frame and walls required some major plasterwork and remoddelling and father in-law has been thrust to the fore to get this work done. Thankfully it's all done now and just the above list is left.
Interestingly though we're approaching the final 5 weeks now, and it wont be done at least for another couple of weeks because the wardrobe doesn't arrive until at least the 25th. I'll keep adding to this work in progress and will take photo's as soon as there's something worth seeing!

Getting close now!

The weeks are flying by at the moment, it's hard to believe that in 7 weeks (or less) that there will be another member of the Aven household.
The pregnant one is currently only appreciative when the words little, small or beautiful are used before her name. Of course being 35 weeks means that the latter is the only one of the three that truly applies at the present time.

I've had a funny couple of weeks recently and find myself without a desktop PC at present, meaning i've not been gaming for at least a week or so, but that's enough for now i'll explain later. so i will just leave it at that for the time being. I'm not sure why i've not posted recently, it just seems that whenever i feel ready to post something, i just never get around to it, or more likely i change my mind and stop myself.

Ooops been kinda busy!

Well actually no point lying about it, i've been slacking mostly. Kicking back playing some DAoC, WoW and some Silent Hunter 3. On the occassions i've managed to get some time off of lucking after Mrs Aven and her 30 week bump!
Was watching a few episodes of CSI series 6 tonight and the little blighter was kicking and rolling like a barrel going over niagra! Previously it was only ever a small movement or slight bump, but today is the first time i've actually been able to feel and see what was going on. I get the feeling the bump really isn't keen on CSI but is willing to put up with it if we want to watch it, but only after making it's distaste known.
I'm really looking forwards to meeting the little monster and showing it who's the boss! (no doubt it'll have mastered me in under an hour and i will be forever it's bitch) but that's not the point.
It's becoming quite clear now that working full days is really taking it out of Mrs Aven, we're lucky if she lasts past 9pm in an evening. and to make things worse she's not taking a break and whenever she's off work she spends most of the day on the laptop working from home. Somethings gotta give soon, and i'm pretty sure that'll be Maternity leave starting early (though she wont admit she's thinking about that) Not to worry, as we enter the final 12 week home things a really set to hit the fan! :)
Quick shout out to Ryan - for telling me he was playing a rugby match in sunderland this weekend and my apologies for not turning up despite the 5 minute walk to get to ashbrooke (i know, i'm a lazy bastard!) sorry mate! :( I promise i'll come watch you play sooooon!!
And a big! hooooyaaaaa to my boys (and girls) in Majestic Disturbance! It's been awesome playing with you all again, i'm really enjoying Lamorak! being back in Hib is like being home again! See you on the battlefields!

Strange Week

Started out pretty well, was busy as hell at work and tired as hell at home as Billie's been making the whole sleeping thing pretty uncomfortable with all the restlessness and grumbling about the bump (13 weeks to go at the moment).
All was going pretty well until Wednesday. I took the afternoon off work so that i could be in when the Virgin Media installer came to replace our STB with a V+ box (damn i'm impressed with it!!)
I got home to find that he'd already been and installed it but that my wife wasn't feeling well, so i drove her to the doctors expecting her to be told to put her feet up and rest a little.
However by 3pm we'd been rushed into Sunderland Royal A&E because they were concerned about her health. After a little time in A&E she'd had a number of blood tests done, an ECG they'd taken blood from the artery as well as the vein (painful from the artery she says). Then she was wheeled down to X-Ray for them to check out her chest was clear. Thinking this would be the end of the poking and prodding they returned her to a CDU ward while they awaited the results of the tests. Kindly failing to inform us this meant she'd be in overnight as the test results would take a few hours and the registrar and consultant would need to look at them before making a decision.
So by the time it got to 10pm we started to realise I'd need to pick up a few clothes for her to sleep in and i was pretty desperate for some food as I'd not eaten since 8am. So i ran home and picked up the most unsuitable pyjamas i could find (i can never find anything when I'm panicked)
Sadly the saga didn' t end there, the ward repeatedly told her she'd be seen by a doctor soon so i waited to see what would happen though by 11:40 i'd had enough and bid her goodnight. Obviously by the time i got home and got some sleep it was at least 4am so when i awoke at 8am i decided that work had no chance, got dressed and went to find my wife at the hospital.
Only to be told when i got there that the panic was all over possible blood clots on her heart and lungs (they claim they happen more often during pregnancy) and it seems Billies symptoms match those of a possible clot, though the blood tests didn't appear to show the likelihood of them being there / occurring. So there was a big debate over whether she needed to have more scans and x-rays which kept us there until late Thursday.
Thankfully she was allowed to come home and we got her settled in the house. Unfortunately the bump was most unimpressed with the stress all this had caused and remained restless for the entire period. In-fact it's been so restless since the hospital that Billies still sore from all the kicking and twisting and she's now been out of hospital for three days!
I really do appreciate the fact that all the medical staff took her health seriously and did everything they could to ensure she was thoroughly checked out. I just find it disapointing that the ward staff were completely unforgiving of my wife and unborn childs obvious distress at what was going on. For a woman 27 weeks pregnant to be dragged into hospital and thrown onto a ward of obviously uncomfortable and distressed patients is extremely disconcerting and considering my wifes emotions were running extremely high there was little to no concern. And i've never had any problems with male nurses before, but it seemed that the guy on duty overnight had absolutely no sympathy at all. To have him shouting "You can't go anywhere you will DIE if you have a blood clot!" at you is really not helpful when the only thing she really wanted was to go home and get some sleep in a comfortable bed. I really hope i never bump into the lad again outside of the hospital, i was incredibly annoyed and tempted to throw a fist into his face on the ward! (I suspect this would have been much to the amusement of the onlookers, but a bad decision non the less!).
I'll call it a night here as i really need to get some rest before work tomorrow.

Tiring weekend!

Well That weekend was one i'd like to get over as soon as possible. Frankly I'm exhausted and should have been in bed hours ago. especially considering it's back to working full days from Monday (ie, today!)
Well it started out like any other weekend when the wifes off work, with the exception that I've been getting a bit jumpy since the 15 weeks to go barrier was crossed. Not in a bad way, but jumpy regarding the fact that simple things like, nursery, cot, pushchair, car seat, pram etc.. haven't been bought yet. Nor really discussed. So! as Friday evening came and went i THE MAN OF THE HOUSE stood up to be noticed! I said I AM MAN! and voiced my displeasure at the lack of action thus far.

I needn't have bothered as i was soon smothered in websites and detailed research notes (and some complaints about inaction to date) The following day was planned and by 11am Saturday i was already on the way into Newcastle. Little did i realise that we'd have purchased one of these before lunch, and after a manly outburst one of these to accompany it! I'll admit, i'm a wuss and it was too cute to resist. Thankfully we didn't pay full price for either of these as i was 100% adamant i wouldn't buy overpriced mamas and papas junk! (Honestly though the build quality faaaaar surpasses most companies products of comparable value! which is annoyingly satisfying).
By the time that was done there was still another 4 or more hours of shopping time left and i was dragged to the MetroCentre.

Avidly i paid as little attention as i could while being dragged around as it was time to experiment with prams/car seats/pushchairs. Now i'll be honest here, we HAVE looked around before going to visit the shops as i wanted to be able to see what i liked before looking in stores. Now i found something online for £330 that i loved (as did the wife after seeing a film showing it) but after seeing the Hauck Infinity in person i decided it looked absolutely awful. Eventually and after an extremely long chat to a really helpful assistant (ooooh that sounds belittling of her, she was by far more than a simple spotty shop assistant!) we found a few pushchairs that we liked. They were a Silver Cross pram, a Bebeconfort Loola, or a Quinny. Now luckilly my mother had offered to buy these expensive pieces of kit, but as we couldn't settle on one we retreated home for a rest and recouperation (via Team valley!) while we contemplated the next move. I phoned my mother and explained our minds had been changed and instead we wanted a different pram but couldn't decide. So she came up today to help. Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons we visited Mamas and Papas and found the Pramette (Image up top) which i think my mother fell in love with as much as i did. It's just the final price tag of over £550 when the carseat, pram, bag and raincover are thrown in that are causing palpitations!!! However i think splitting the cost will be the way to go as we all love it.

VM & Sky, DAoC and Aliens!!!!

Well i've really enjoyed watching the big fuss over Virgin Media Group and Sky these last few days. In absolute honesty i was of the belief that a last minute deal would be reached between the two companies. I believed that wholeheartedly until 11:59 last night. I wasn't expecting the signal to just drop. I have to be honest, i didn't watch it until midnight, so i don't know what time they pulled it but when i turned on Sky One this morning i was expecting more than a blank screen. However! I'm happy to see VM stand up to Sky and refuse to pay an unreasonable amount. I have no intention of returning to Sky (Despite my displeasure with the 4mb broadband) i'm quite happy with them. The only thing that really angers me is the fact the VoD (View on Demand) content they keep harping on about, it's either Pay Per View meaning that because i no longer get sky i have to pay a fee to watch each episode! or It's old content that i've seen before.
I'm going to phone Virgin at some point next week once the fuss has died down to see if i can get V+ installed to compensate for the loss of these channels. Reason being we've still got a sky dish and Sky offered me a Sky+ box for nothing provided i paid the £10 a month for the services. (as opposed to a £75 installation + £10p.m

DAoC wise, i've returned to the classic server cluster tonight, i was against returning to the game prior to 1.88 being released as i'm primarily an Archer and at present we're the weakest classes on the table! However a friend of mine told me he'd returned and as WoW was getting repetitive without my duo partner to level with i've decided to go back to Gareth for a while. At present i'm not sure this is the best thing to do BUT i'm back playing Hib for a while so i've started a new toon (Bubblecow) on Lamorak and will be trying to get levelled up a little whenever i'm not playing something else.

And finally tonight i spotted Aliens (James Cameron's finest film imho) on Ch4, i thought this would just be a highly edited and disapointing version, however much to my suprise they actually showed the full Special Edition version (possibly slightly edited but i didn't spot it!) Kudos to Ch4, i'd grown accustomed to having to dig out the old VHS out whenever i wanted to watch this and was grateful to be able just to settle down infront of the TV and enjoy an awesome Sci-fi film. Well done C4!

Adios!

Film4 & baby kicks!

Wow i've been impressed with Film 4 recently, since it went over to freeview i dont think there's been many nights when i've actually gone to bed without watching or falling asleep to a good film. Fair enough many people will complain they keep repeating some films for days on end but i'm not a person who objects to that really. It's been years since i've seen the likes of 24 Hour Party People, The Deer Hunter, Once upon a Time in America, Forrest Gump, Chariots of Fire etc.. etc.. Most of them are films i don't actually have in my DVD collection (though i'm not sure why).
Well done Film4, Thank you!
They're no Sky movies, but on the same token they don't cost anyone a penny to watch, They're mostly Great films! (interspliced with some incredibly strange and thought provoking films, not forgetting the downright strange films aswell....)

Lastly, i didn't realise just how hard the baby has been kicking my wifes innards until this morning, i woke up to find myself being kicked in the back. Initially i thought it must be the dog on the bed or possibly my wife pushing me, but it wasn't. Truth was she was trying to hug me and the baby was unimpressed with being squashed and forced to share the space with his/her soon to be daddy. I wouldn't be suprised if i actually have a slight bruise from the beating i took! 15 weeks to go... remains to be seen if she'll last that long!!! She's insisting she will as she's travelling to the London Book Fair at 32 weeks pregnant (much to my disgust!) but so long as she manages to keep the blighter in till April we're all good!

15 Weeks, 57 and Download Speeds

Well where do i start? I suppose saying YEEEAAAHHH!!! DING 57! is a good place to start, finally i've knuckled down and gained that last 20% needed to hit lvl 57, so my hunter is now merely 13 levels behind the rest of the guild (oooh lucky number there i guess!) after what's that so far? 2 months since TBC launched? and yet i'm still not even 60! god that's commitment for you! hmmm maybe i'll play more in future.

So with the good start over i'm going to have a grumble about my download speeds with Virgin Media (or NTL:Telewest is really at fault i suppose) Until a few weeks ago i was running on the 10mb NTL cable connection, it was basically the one thing i wanted when i moved in with t'other half and she agreed it was fine, and all was well with it. However when i decided to tell Sky where to shove their digibox and stroke NTL's ego by moving to them for all three important services (Phone, TV & Internet) i decided to take a drop in my net speed as i thought 10mb was a bit much considering how little downloading i do outside of gaming. But since dropping from 10meg to 4meg my download speeds seem to have dropped through the bloody ringer! and i'm not happy about it!!!!!one!!! but Virgin dont seem to give a shit, yes they acknowledge i should get a faster conn but wont accept blame, so i'm tempted to phone them and tell them i'm going back to sky and will be taking my cable modem and shoving it up (non)Virgins arsehole! replacing it with a 16mb DSL connection with Sky. But i can't even do this, NTL installed a new line to the house, meaning that my phoneline isn't with BT! so i can't even try and get DSL over it anyway!!!! fecks sake! they really know how to make a person cry. In-fact i think i'm going to stop myself there, i don't really want to depress myself anymore!

On an alternative note i'd like to say a big thanks to my mum who called me tonight (after speaking to my sister whom i'd been texting about there only being 15 weeks left before she is an auntie) in shock having been under the illusion that this birth thing was happening at some point in the very far future and that she would not be a Grandmother for a long time to come! Strangely it seems my wife is still in denial, despite this revelation she is also convinced that the little blighter will not be escaping her body EVER if labour is involved. It's hard for me to remain straight faced when that type of hysteria is thrown around, yes it's scary, yes it's probably going to be very painful but does trying to convince yourself it's NOT going to happen really make you feel better? Meh i'll call it a night at that, it's nearly 2am and i want to get some sleep at some point this year, here's an image showing what the 25th week looks like!

No Posing!

Well she wouldn't co-operate and pose for a bump shot tonight! so i'm unable to post one and you'll have to make do with this instead!

I think i'd have been better with the bouquet on that day 18 months ago... I suit it!

On a slightly completely un-related note i've still not hit 57 on WoW! I've accrued at least 1.5 levels of 200% exp since i last played but was so bored within an hour of logging in earlier i decided to hold off and play when i could actually be bothered. Fingers crossed i'm in a better mood soon, as i've missed out on so much game time recently i'm suprised the guild still talk to me when i log in.

Well shan't stay on for long, i'm missing CSI: Miami and it's actually been quite good.

Oh and before i forget Monk rocks!

Been a while

Haven't posted for a while, we've been busy this last few weeks!

Billie is now 24 weeks and the bump is progressively getting bigger, she even demanded that i take a picture yesterday to ensure that a record of her progression is kept. I'd post it if she'd let me, but it was on her camera rather than my own so i haven't been able to get it uploaded yet.

The house was finally starting to seem sorted until we started clearing out the soon to be nursery, within an hour we'd knocked a dividing wall down and turned what had been a dusty mess into a dirty, plastery, dusty mess! so the wall will be returned to it's original state soon and then we can finally get to work on tidying up the room and putting some baby furniture into it.

It's looking increasingly unlikely that i'll ever get this machine upgraded, and with Direct x10 being on the way for these games soon to be released i'll be left out of the gaming loop. Will just have to make do with what i have for the time being, at least i can still play wow at the moment.

Ummm that'll do for now, might post a mobile blog later if i can get a decent piccy of the wife!

Maternity shopping again

It seems this is all we ever do when we have time off at the moment! Oh well at least it keeps her quiet and buys me some peaceful gaming time. :)

New scan!

Just got back from the hospital. With a bunch of scary new images. Still don't know what we're having but if the magpies are to be believed it's a boy!

Quick post,

Just to say, it's scan day tomorrow, so all being well i'll have new photo(s) for the blog at the very least. :)
I've been really impressed with the Sony Ericsson K800i, i think the ability to "blog" while on the move is pretty fascinating, especially considering how good the camera is on the little phone. I'm just annoyed it's taken me so long to get the images moved over to this blog.
On a completely un-related note, wooooooo i finally hit lvl 49 in wow. My little Arraz is now concentrating on getting himself levelled up to join all the other players in the new content areas that were added with TBC.
The attunement stuff is confusing the hell out of me, all i want to do is spend some time levelling with friends, but as they're all 20 levels ahead of me still that's just not feasible. However i'm sure eventually i will catch up.
That'll do for now, no-one reads this anyway so it's more of a diary i guess. at least it's semi-theraputic!

Well i'm buggered...

If it isn't a kidney bean all of my own!

Yeah, my updates have been none existent recently, mainly because i had a couple of concurring blogs, and for some reason couldn't get my mobile device to log the uploads to this blog. Though that's mostly my own ineptitude.

We've known about this since early November but i've decided to wait until saying anything until now. That scans from the 6th Nov and the kidney bean is currently now around 18cm's all being well. Next scan is on wednesday afternoon, i'll probably upload piccys then! :)

For now, that'll do :)