Legally Blonde

…as promised! For those to whom things haven’t filtered out already!!!

Alice’s son is called Benjamin, and was born a healthy 7 pounds 5 1/2 ounces (I am told!). Mother and baby are still in hospital, and doing fine. Alice will be so happy to know there are so many people are thinking of her, and I will pass on everyones good wishes when I can.

Alice gave birth to a baby boy this morning just before 10.00am!!! A little earlier than planned, but nevertheless all went well, and both are fine. Many thanks are due to all those who helped out, and gave up time, space and sleep last night! A special and memorable Christmas all round!

I’m sure Alice would want to wish you all a very happy Christmas, but as you can imagine, is a little far away from a computer at present!

Updates will be posted here as soon as I know more details. Meanwhile, send your good wishes, prayers and thanks in their direction. Merry Christmas all xxx

I won’t be able to blog from hospital but to let you know soonest, Sarah (rambling folkie) is going to post for me when there’s News.

Oh, and before I forget, Thank you. The prayers and support of various wib-people has been invaluable this year; specially those of you I don’t know “IRL”. Just in case I don’t manage to get online again before then, very Merry Christmases to you all, and a new year filled with joy and peace, whatever the changes and challenges it will bring.

Still here, and still just the one of me (sorry, Jack, Ian, anyone else holding your breath til I’m on the recent updates)!

I’ve swung completely round from terrified and nervous etc to just excited and almost a bit impatient now. Dying to meet the small person I’ve been carrying around since just before Easter! It’s very weird now, just playing a waiting game. I can’t commit to anything, go anywhere, just in case, but at the same time I don’t want to be doing nothing just sitting waiting. People here are being lovely and I potter about having tea or chats or hugs or walking dogs or what-have-you, and trying not to count days or hours or wonder and worry and reach for the phone to ring my midwife at every twinge, ache and pain…

Of course, there’s the far more important lesson this is all teaching me, about waiting in hope, and expectation, so that this year perhaps for the first time I’ve really been aware of and taking seriously the message of Advent, probably more than Christmas itself. Watching and waiting…

I haven’t been miserable since Friday, or whenever it was I blogged last. Things have been a bit more positive, except that now I can’t blog from home (again!!) and wasn’t going to pay for a net café if I could help it.

We have a wall! it’s still a bit smelly and damp, but that’s the plaster (well, artex actually!) drying out. generally the flat is cosier. The baby room is all set. Tesco trip last night, so freezer and cupboards well stocked. Christmas v nearly wrapped (lost a day of making cards to scraping hte wall last weekend).

This afternoon is the Clinic Christmas do, and even tho I don’t work there any more I’m still kind of involved – just off to be girly and vain and have my hair done, then have to collect the glasses (drinking nice wine from stained tea mugs may be ok for students but I thought it’d be nice to have the real thing so they don’t think I’ve completely lost the plot…), panic about what to wear (how superficial, I know, but there’s v little that’s smart and/or still goes round me), and get down the hill to organise the drinks etc. So I’d better stop blogging and get on with the morning!

Oh, and I had all of 20 minutes’ sleep this morning – spent last night listening to the rain, willing the babe to move (midwife told me to notice if it didn’t for a bit, and it hadn’t for most of yesterday), and breathing through practice contractions. Eek. Hope I can stay awake long enough to be sociable at the Clinic later on.

No, really.

‘Cause if I started, I’d go on and on, and it wouldn’t be helpful, just circular, self-indulgent and miserable.

I’m not going to blog again until I have something positive to share!

Sorry.

Went out for a curry with an interesting mixture of friends from chaplaincy and choir as well as people I’d not met before, for Anna’s birthday (which is Monday, but most people will leave Swansea before then).

Of course, there were the usual comments –

“Isn’t curry supposed to bring on early labour?” (I’m getting used, but don’t know how to respond, to this one); “I didn’t know you were pregnant” (thanks, you thought I was just piling on pounds for fun the last two terms?); “What are you doing for Christmas?” (not leaving Swansea, not revising for exams, just having a baby), etc.

but all well-meant, I’m sure.

During the meal, Sarah and Mike came up with the idea of laying bets on when I pop. For a pound apiece (or more if they feel generous), people are guessing the date and time the babe puts in an appearance. The closest gets a box of chocs, with the rest of the prize pot going to Tong Len (if they have a website I’ll check with Mike and edit in a link), a centre Mike was involved with on his India travels.

Tonglen is the Tibetan practice of “sending and receiving.” Tong means “sending out” or “letting go”, len means “receiving” or “accepting,” and they work with displaced communities in northern India.

I suppose I should object to such blatant interest in and speculation about my bodily functions (don’t worry, tongue firmly in cheek ) but it’s a bit of fun, and in a jolly good cause. So far the money is spread from 5 am on Christmas morning to 3.30 pm on 2nd January. Watch this space – Sarah’s going to guest blog for me when there is news.

Update: I meant to say, if you want more info on the charity, or to join in the sweepstake(!), please be in touch with Mike…

Update 2 Tong Len do have a website.

<

Slept late, saw midwife, did (more productive than usual) battle with desk stuff, bought carrots, saw Sarah after one of the big course-works she’s been struggling with finally handed in, remembered to eat something, stripped a wall of damp and mouldy plaster, spoke to Mum (London Mum!), now need to sleep again.

Apologies if entries a little predictable and repetitive now – apparently the last fortnight or so the body takes over and I have no say in the matter of when/where/whether, I just sleep. So, after brief and boring non-entry, G’night.

My wonderful (Swansea) Mum came this morning with the cradle she’s lending my babe. It’s beautiful, a proper old wicker affair on legs. I’ve been extra broody today, and made up the mattress and blankets etc and now just want to hurry up and meet the occupant!

I also collected a box of birth remedies from one of the Homoeopaths at work, so my bedtime reading will be learning symptoms and matching to relevant remedies, etc. Of course, it’s more important the people who’ll be with me read up on it, since I’ll probably not be in the most lucid and articulate of moods at the time I’m needing ‘em…

Had lovely tea and homemade cake with friend from ante-natal class, one of the best things about anc is people don’t glaze over when you talk baby ’cause they’re in the same boat. Too easy to become “baby bore” with “normal” (unpregnant) friends!

Still having issues with damp wall, but decided not to worry about it for now. Life’s too short, and if I can keep the babe warm and fed s/he won’t be inspecting the interior décor. (I hope.)

I know I mentioned this last year but it’s something to think about again… the Buy Nothing Christmas initiative which started a couple of years ago in Canada. I’ve added a Wiblink to their site, where there are heaps of ideas either for small (eg at home) or larger (eg churches or shopping centres) scale applications of the plan. It sounds desperately radical and revolutionary to some, but really it is a return to celebrating what really matters – the reason for gift-giving, which in our increasingly secularised society is struggling to stay visible under all the retail therapy, razzmatazz and plastic abuse that marks this holiday for so many.

I think it’s a great idea to cut down on our consumerism (see also link on left to Year of Living Generously project). They don’t advocate buying nothing, but more thinking about what you buy and why, ie even cooking or homemade cards do cost a bit in terms of ingredients.

I have to confess that this year I have actually spent on family pressies, but all from Traidcraft and local charity shops. Last year I mostly gave them time and effort eg cooking but since I’m not going back to London this year I thought that was the next best thing.

I love this from the Stories page of their site: “Everything I wish for this Christmas is time. Time to spend with those I love, time to think, time to talk, time to read, time to laugh, time to be silent.” To which I would add, time to be with and thank God for the greatest gift of all, that of his Son as one of us.