day in the life - february 1st 2012

midnight - 2am: Trying and failing to get Dulcie to sleep and feeding, feeding, feeding while listening to Janice Long.

If only Graham was prepared to sit like this all through the night!

2am - 3.30am: Sleep, delicious sleep.

3.30am - 4.30am: Dulcie wakes me up so I change her nappy and feed her while listening to whoever that man is between Janice Long and Vanessa Feltz.

4.30am - 5.45am: More delicious sleep.

5.45am - 6.40am: Dulcie wakes up so I change her nappy and feed her while listening to Vanessa Feltz.  I wish someone else was on the radio at this time in the morning.  Vanessa grates on me at the best of times but is way too much at this time of day when I've not had enough sleep.  I mop up another blood vomit and give Dulcie more milk to make up for what she's just lost.  The Chris Evans show starts and I sigh at how it must be nearly time to get up. 

6.40am - 8.45am: Sleep.  Mmmm.

8.45am: Dulcie starts crying for food and Graham (who slept in the spare room last night to escape Dulcie's shouting) comes in to say good morning and goodbye.  I pick Dulcie up and discover she has leaked (I'll spare you the details) out the side of her nappy.  I change her nappy and her clothes (this does not go down well - oh, my eardrums!) and her bed sheets before putting her back in the cot and going to the kitchen to prepare her morning medication.

9.00am - 9.45am:  I give Dulcie her medicine and feed her in front of the telly.  I watch Tinga Tinga Tales, one of my favourite cartoons.  I wish this had been on when I was little.  I would have loved it.  But since I still love it as an adult, I suppose it doesn't matter too much!

9.45am - 10.15am:  Dulcie goes back to bed and I have toast and marmalade and wander about the internet where I discover that today is Day In The Life.  I type up my day so far and then realise I'm running late for my appointment at the anti-coagulation clinic.  I'd better go and get dressed!

Dulcie objects loudly to the hand-knitting.

10.45am: Dulcie and I get wrapped up for the great outdoors and head off to have my thumb pricked again.  I think Dulcie looks smashing in her traditional hand-knits, but you can see she was not so impressed!

The waiting area at Western Outpatients where I attend the anti-coagulation clinic.

11.00am: Arrive at the anti-coagulation clinic.  It's looking very busy and I have to stand with the pram while I wait my turn.  As you can see from the picture, I am in the minority as someone who has not yet drawn my pension.  This can be depressing but when I have Dulcie with me it means that lots of old folks want to chat to me which is quite nice.  Today I meet a man with lots of daughters and granddaughters but no sons or grandsons.  He compliments Dulcie and is pleased to hear we think she'll be a redhead.  When he gets called in to his appointment he puts a £2 coin in the pram "for Dulcie's bank".  Aw!  This is the first time anyone has put money in Dulcie's pram.

Dulcie and her £2 coin.

11.35am: Finally!  I get called in to have my blood checked.  It's still a bit on the high side but nothing like as bad as it was yesterday when I had to be given emergency drugs and was sent home with strict instructions to stay away from all sharp objects.  I'll be able to slice cheese for my sandwich without fear today!

12 noon - 1.00pm: We get home and out of our outdoor clothes.  Dulcie is hungry so there's more feeding and nappy changing.

1.15pm: I have lunch (soup and a sandwich) while watching Scrubs.  Dulcie lies in her bed doing her best impression of a creaky door.  I don't think that last feed is going down too easily.

1.45pm - 2.15pm: Poppy the poor, neglected cat sits on me so I decide to watch another episode of Scrubs.  I have to kick Poppy off my lap after about ten minutes though as Dulcie is grumbling.  Turns out she just needed a cuddle and a burp or two so she goes back to bed quite quickly.

2.15pm: I have a glass of milk and some chocolate and decide to have a nap on the sofa rather than tackle the jobs I had in mind for this afternoon.  Maybe later?

2.30pm - 3.30pm: Cancel the nap.  Dulcie is grumpy.  Once she has settled into her cuddle she is quite happy.  I lie back and watch telly while she snoozes on my chest.  I think I doze off too.  Naughty, naughty.

3.30pm: Feeding and changing.

4.30pm - 5.30pm: More snuggling and snoozing.  This is not what I had planned to do with my day and I start stressing at the jobs I was meant to complete - tidying, washing, organising Dulcie's drawers, sorting out my medication for the week, writing thank you cards...  Then I decide to cut myself some slack.  I don't nap every day and obviously needed it.

5.30pm - 7.00pm: Feeding and changing Dulcie again.  Graham gets home from work and makes us dinner (pizza and salad).

7.00pm: We eat dinner on the sofa rather than in the kitchen.  Dulcie has begun her evening grumbling and I prepare myself for the onslaught that will most likely last from now until 4am.

Not sure how Dulcie could fail to be impressed by the amazing baby gym...

7.30pm - 9.45pm: I feed Dulcie on and off, trying to keep her from crying, and cuddle her/distract her in between times to spare my aching you-know-whats.  When she still refuses to lie in her bed we get out her baby gym (a hand-me-down from our friends) for the first time.  She is not particularly impressed and just cries on the floor as oppose to crying in her bed.  My mum phones from France (she's visiting my sister at the moment) to see how everything is going and then my dad phones from Elgin (where he lives) to say that he's coming to see us on Saturday.  The timing is suspicious and I think my mum phoned him after phoning me and told him to phone.  Meanwhile, Graham has been out to the supermarket for a few bits and pieces and has brought me back crisps and sweets.  I have been wanting junk food all day.

Some close-ups from Dulcie's photo session.

9.45pm - 10.15pm: Dulcie is momentarily entertained by lying on a pillow on my lap and staring at lights so I try to get a photo of her face with her eyes open as we don't really have any.  I manage to get a few and email them to my mum, dad and sister.

10.30pm - 11.45pm:  Graham and I decide to watch The Hotel online while I feed Dulcie but the internet is dead so we have to spend a while fixing that first.  Internet fixed, we watch The Hotel and eat crisps and sweets.

11.45pm - well into the next morning: Graham opts for a night in the spare room again while I wrestle with a grumpy baby who just will not sleep.

See Nikki's blog to find out what some other people did on February 1st.