Auteur: Gudrun

Since I’m home these days to take care of Wolf, I’ve started a big cleaning of the house. We live here for 6 years now, so it was really necessary. Started with this big cupboard in the living room, clearing it out and throwing away tons of junk. Note to self: I MUST stop buying candles, I hardly can store them anymore !

On a furniture shopping spree too: last week I bought a small table for the sitting room. I finally found one to my liking, after a couple of years looking around. Delivery time: 4 weeks. Bought a new book shelf too: I want to store my comics in the bedroom, so I have free cupboard space for Wolf’s toys.

Today I went out and got me four beautiful garden chairs: aluminum with textilene and a bit of teak. Cost me 60 euro a piece, but they’re worth it, considering I don’t have to drag the living room chairs out anymore every time someone comes by.

Nihil: if you ever make it for that coffee, we can sit outside now :-p
Petjorin: you’re always welcome to come over and try them out too, we can chat about the choir then. Too bad you’re working these days…
Wim and Kim: I’d invite you too, but your allergy…
Randall and whoever I might be forgetting: you’re welcome too 🙂

Just give me a call…

We were watching the points of the Eurovision Song Contest, while I was knitting and falling asleep (luckily not in bed yet) when, all of a sudden, I heard a crack and a sound of water. At first I thought it was the dog drinking, but as it continued, I realised what it was: my aquarium ! I yelled, we both jumped up, and yes, one of the walls had cracked and the water (a mere 90 litres) was gulping out. Bart ran for cloth (dweils), I ran to get the hose I empty the aquarium with, we started damage control. Mind, the thing is in my office, within one meter of all my cables, only separated from my actual running PC by one of the sides of my desk. We managed to empty it pretty quickly, hardly any water reached the cables, and the damage, as far as we can see, is limited. The floor may be wrecked though: hardwood floor. At least we have insurance for all costs over 180 euro.

All hyped up here now, so much for being drowsy already.

Beste mevrouw Rombaut,

Na xxxx en xxx is het in september de beurt aan mijn derde kind om naar het secundair onderwijs te gaan.
Uiteraard gaat hij ook Latijn volgen.
De bedoeling van deze mail is om u te vragen of ik met zekerheid kan rekenen dat hij in uw klas zou terechtkomen.
Bent u tegenwoordig de enige lerares Latijn voor de 1e graad in het KAM?

Anders zou ik expliciet aan de directeur vragen dat xxx in uw klas zou zitten.

Graag uw mening.

Bedankt op voorhand voor het antwoord en nog een prettige weekend toegewenst.

Met beleefde groeten,

xxxx

The mailman just came to the door, and he carried this big parcel… Addressed to my little son Wolf (btw, new pics of him on www.wolfdewaele.be). In it was the most gorgeous handmade blankie :-))))) Thank you so much, Robby ! He’s asleep under it right now 🙂
It smells lovely too, wonder what you did to it…
As soon as I can get Bart to unload the camera again (due to some odd software problem it will only work 1 out of 10 times, on a Mac only), I’ll post a picture of Wolf and this lovely blanket from ambyguity.

It’s great to be loved.

My back is killing me. I don’t know what happened or what I did, but yesterday evening my back started hurting. Nothing special, I thought, it would pass. Wrong. I think it must be some kind of hernia, I can barely walk. I can’t sit or lie down or do anything without pain, my back refuses to support me. I had kinda hoped it would be better with a night’s rest, but no go there. Only got worse. We had friends over for coffee and cake in the afternoon (they came to see Wolf) but Bart had to do everything, like set the table, give Wolf a fresh diaper, do the dishes… Luckily I had already made the cake yesterday. Afternoon was nice though, immobile as I was.
Phoned my mom after they left, and she came over (20 mins drive) just to bring me my dad’s waist belt and his walking stick (he has a bad back too), and then left again since she had a concert tonight. It does help a little, but not much. Definitely doctor tomorrow. Sigh. Once more.

Worst is, I can’t even carry my own baby. Bart has to bring him to me when I need to feed him. Makes me feel so useless…

Had quite a nice day today, in spite of the fact that Wolf didn’t grant me much sleep last night.

After lunch, I went to this big store to get some baby stuff, like sheets, a brush, etc etc. Suddenly my phone went off, and it turned out to be my mom, who never ever calls on my cell. She wanted me to come over with the baby cos it was such a lovely weather (18°, although the sun wasn’t really shining) for a nice walk, and then a visit to my grandparents who really wanted to see him again. So I hurried home, packed all the stuff and left. Had a nice walk indeed, some nice chats, but I’m really tired right now. A good kind of tired.

Oh, and I’m still losing weight ! I eat like a buffoon though, and lots of sugar too, but breastfeeding is a blessing when it comes to losing weight. As compared to the moment I got pregnant, I lost 13 kilo by now. Looking and feeling good. Just need to get rid of the belly, and I’ll look pretty nice this summer. Oh, and a tan would be kinda cool too 🙂

Last night, after I had taken a long hot relaxing bath and wasn’t dressed yet, I decided to clear away some stuff in the bathroom. While doing so, I felt a cold drop on my body. I looked up, but nothing dripping within sight. I continued, and felt another drop. Hmm. I knew the bathroom was damp, and I felt the sloping wall/ceiling, but nothing so damp that it would drip. I carried on.
Drip. WTF ? I even felt the towel rack and such, but no wet stuff there. Hmm ?
As I walked to the mirror: drip ! And then I realised what it was: my own goddamned breasts !
Argh, I hate this milk thing ! I feel like a fucking cow !

Really shaken here, been crying even.

Just got an email from a friend with whom I play LARP. His wife was pregnant, estimated date being May 21. She gave birth this morning, at 28 weeks instead of 40, to a little girl named Kaat, barely 1.100 kilo. Mother is kept under narcosis (pregnancy poisoning, bad case) till tomorrow but seems stable, little one is doing ok, as far as that is possible. Next few days will be crucial for her. I hope, oh god I hope that both will be allright. The baby might not survive, or have severe shortcomings when growing up.
He even included a picture of the baby, and my heart bled. It’s so tiny, so helpless, so… incomplete !

Still shocked here, and feeling very sympathetic. Makes me want to take Wolf out of his crib and hold him tightly…

Bart just added some video to the Wolf site. Of course we’re talking Dutch, but still… My dad resorted to Latin too, and I love it 🙂

Still so easily tired these days, but I presume that’s normal, as I only gave birth a couple of days ago. The only things I did today was feed the baby, give him a fresh diaper, give him a bath, take a bath myself, and sleep. Feeding takes up a lot of energy, that’s true, but it’s fulfilling too. Finally those damned balloons have a purpose :-p

Bart seemed to have lost a couple of pics I took. Hope he can find them, they’re from my gran (aged 92) with the little one. Can you imagine ? She offered me help if I needed any, she would gladly drive up to my house to cook me soup, she said. I laughingly declined, saying that my mom and Bart’s mom would give me any help I need, along with some good friends, that I didn’t need my 92 year old gran to help… She’s truly amazing 🙂

Wolf’s sleeping quietly now, as usual. He’s such a sweet kid: cries every four hours when he wants to be fed, and once in between when he has soiled his pampers. When he’s awake, he’s just looking around with those big blue eyes of his, playing with his fingers…

Bart just left, and neither him or me liked it 🙁 Alas, his brother and my eldest brother, who are the godfathers, are so proud that they’re giving a drink tonight in Wolf’s honour, and Bart of course had to be there. Koen promised to bring him home by midnight though. Bart would much rather have stayed home with us. It’s our first night home again, and I missed my husband. Will feel so good to be sleeping in my own bed again, in the arms of my sweet, with my darling in a little bed next to me. Hope he doesn’t wake us too often.

I’ll tell more of the birth and the past days tomorrow or so. Gonna eat something first, not really hungry, but I owe it to the kid. See ? Had such good habits in the hospital, but already neglecting them here. I need to drink tons, and eat well and take lots of vitamins, and I did none so far (it’s 9.30 pm). Bad mother. If I don’t, I won’t produce enough valid milk to feed the sprog, and right now he’s the one purpose in my life.