Take two

We had a lovely Christmas with dinner, games and presents and we're now at the hospital again ready for Sue's planned c-section.

Not sure what time the op is but Sue's having all the prep work done at the moment. Here's hoping we don't have to wait all that long.

False alarm

Sue has been examined and it's definitely c-section. They gave us the option of today or boxing day... So we're coming in on Monday now. Gives us the chance to have a family Christmas after all.

We get to come straight into the labour ward on Monday and hopefully have a baby around 2pm.

Moved upstairs

They came to get sue and move her from Bubby purgatory up to the maternity ward.

We might see a doctor now!

Even longer now

The nurse came round to tell us Sue won't be seen until 1 or 1.30 at the earliest. She'll be assessed then and see if they want to break waters and start the 6 hour wait and see.

I feel we may have a Christmas eve baby at this rate.

Still waiting

All that rush to get here for 8am. It's 11.30 now and we're still waiting for a doctor to come by.

Fluids and blood pressure have been taken, but we want to get this show on the road.

In hospital

Sue called the hospital this morning at 7am to find out when to come in for her induction. Happily she was told 8 o'clock. We took it they meant am and not pm.  Two hours later and our journey has begun. Sue is munching on breakfast and we're just waiting to be seen by someone.

Emily's choice of verbalising discomfort

When Em gets upset, and this happens quite a bit now she's getting her own personality, she tends to start her yelling, crying, etc. and segue into snippets of her favourite nursery rhymes. You can see the tears streaming down her face, listen to the screaming cries and just make out "... all day long." (from Wheels on the Bus).

It's quite discomforting as it reminds of those films where people are being tortured and to take their mind off the hideous act at hand they sing their favourite songs and the like.

Before you call child services on us, we are NOT torturing her and she did not learn this behaviour from such films.

My big hope for 2012 is this whole episode will be replaced with her actually being able to tell us what's wrong, unless she is and "all day long" is actually code for "I'm constipated and my stomach hurts."

Potty training fail

We're making SOME headway with Emily as far as potty training is concerned. Some does NOT equal a lot. We put her on the potty and the toilet and she doesn't have a meltdown. She also doesn't produce all that much.

Having said that, the other night Sue had Em on the potty and turned her head for a minute to grab a new nappy. Before you knew it, all the "love" Em wanted to share was working it's way out from her new location, leaning up against a cream leather chair in the living room. 

Sue, thinking quick, dove under Emily with fully cupped hands and received Emily's chocolate gift open palmed. Looking for a plastic bag, and being fully preggers, Sue ended up chundering her recently finished meal into the sink. 

Seems both John women were eager to get rid of that night. 

Since then, we've pretty much been eagle eyed on Emily when she's on the potty, ensuring that what needs to come out on the potty doesn't come out anywhere else. 

It's a long, horribly messy and quite crappy job, but some day it'll be over... won't it?

Is Emily's condition my fault?

Every week there seems to be new research published on Austism, ASD and it's affiliates like Aspergers.

The latest, published in a copy of the Metro a week or so ago, postulates that parents in technology (check) and/or science (not check) could be passing on the gene that causes autism.

Hey cool. With another one on the way next month, that's really the kind of research I want to be reading!

The positive element from the article was the list of famous historical figures who had autism to some degree - including Albert Einsten, Andy Warhol and Charles Darwin. They all eeked about a place for themselves in history, so there is hope.

Emily and adult music

Tonight, Sue was catching up on her Glee on Sky+ (as one does when coming back from a weekend away).

The show's sponsor, who is imminently forgettable, uses Queen's "We Will Rock You" as the song during the ad.

Sue watched the ad once and then proceeded to fast forward through the actual ads. During the quiet minute or so, Emily proceeded to sing, in her little 3.5 year old voice "we will, we will rock you" a couple of times.

Sue and I were utterly dumbfounded, as we've never listened to this song with any intention of teaching it to Emily and are not really sure how many times - if any - Emily has actually listened to it with us.

We're wondering if Helen (or Dragonflies) is planning a children's version of the Queen/Ben Elton musical or what the actual reason behind Emily's new love of the Queen sports anthem actually is.

Now that I know she's getting into "adult" music, the race is on to teach her the first Duran Duran album.