Thursday, February 28, 2008
28th February. Happy birthday Ashley John
Today my health has continued to upset me.
It feels better to look back 37 years to a very happy day on the 27th February and into the night of the 28th and on into the next day.
Today is Ashley's birthday.
The 28th that year was a Sunday.
Bill and I spent some of the Saturday afternoon in the town centre. I bought a little cuddly cat for the soon to be born baby. Bill bought a pair of shoes I remember. We met Bill's mother in The High Street and I reported that I was feeling all sorts of twinges. She laughed and reminded me that I had been saying that for 2 to 3 weeks.
We then scurried home to get a buffet tea ready for many visitors. My cousin Malcolm and his wife Chris were about to leave for Canada and the family gathered at our house to bid them farewell. They didn't settle there and now live in Southern England.
I think there were about 9 of us - and still I had twinges.
After they had gone I confessed that these were serious twinges. Dad and Jenny agreed to stay the night with Jamie, and Bill phoned the midwife and we left for the hospital at about 11 o'clock. Not much more than 2 hours later I was delighted by the arrival of our second son - Ashley John; not that these were the first names we had given him. He was Justin for the first few hours, leaving Bill and I to decide just which name would suit him and us the best.
I was kept in the hospital until the Monday morning and it was on that day that the picture at the top of the page was taken.
So, happy birthday to our Ashley John.
There are so many anniversaries during this week within my family.
Tomorrow would have been Mum's 84th birthday - well, as we always joked this would have been her coming of age! She was a leap year baby so this would have been her 21st.
If Mum had lived longer then the next birthday would never have occurred - Felix will be 1 year old on Saturday. A strange concept - that people you very much care about only exist because of a death.
Felix is Dad's grandchild from his second marriage.
Of course I miss my Mum, but what a wonderful compensation are Jenny, Matthew, Ruth, Joel, Anna and Felix - and the baby to be born in September.
Matthew's wife Suzie has a birthday next week.
On 4th March is Jamie's birthday - born on what would have been my parents wedding anniversary and on my brother Robin's birthday. Robin would be 61 next week, having lost him in his 30's it is hard to think of him as a man getting older.
Then on the 6th I am drawn to recall the sad day when Mum's life came to an end. Her body found some peace - and I can understand now that she would have been ready for the end.
Then 2 days later it is Jenny's birthday.
So, it is is a time for looking back just a little. It is a time in the year when I have often succumbed to Winter depression.
But I don't think it is that which is causing the gut spasms. I can only assume I might be diagnosed as having Irritable Bowel Syndrome and I may well see the doctor for some advice. I guess that I have lost a bit too much intestine and other organs for digestion ever to be completely easy. What I have read on the internet tells me that there might be little I can do - I get advice to eat lots of things which do not appear on the permitted foods of a low potassium diet.
It is making me feel very tired and my body aches.
But - quit grumbling, Grandma!
Oh yes - I will allow myself a little extra grumble. There was a 1 o'clock wake up for Bill and me last night. No, not another earthquake - the wee bag, which has been behaving so well lately, had been leaking for an hour or so and the bed was saturated.
We changed the bag, cleared up, got some washing in the machine and then had a cup of tea to try and settle down again.
I have been realising during the last week or so that whilst I can still do things that I want to, I have to accept that I might always have to pace myself and not expect quite so much. Health issues force one to learn patience.
This afternoon we were both busy getting things ready for customers on EBay. Many of the parcels are already making the overnight journey to their new homes.
Right, it is time for a cup of tea and then time for sleep.
I hope you have had a good day, and if you have an anniversary about now that I haven't included then believe me you are not forgotten.
Good night.
