Post Comment Love 19th-21st November 2021

Welcome back to #pocolo with Stephanie from Lifeat139a and I. It's a weekly post where we encourage people to link up with any post they've written this week, comment and share the love using the hashtag. We love seeing so many familiar and new faces each week. 

I'm back in Northern Ireland, arrived this morning to spend some time getting to know our new Grandson. Unfortunately Peter hasn't travelled with me as we have no one to look after the dog. We'll arrange something soon so he can come over with me, or maybe he could pop over on his own sometime.

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Grandchild No 2 on the way.

Photo credit to my son and his wife 4 and 4a and very happy to announce the upcoming birth of 4b, who will be our 2nd grandchild due in November.

A very merry unbirthday - My Sunday Photo

Due to living abroad and now with the Covid virus, Peter and I won't be around for our first grandchild's 1st birthday.

Peter returns to Dubai on Friday and we have no idea when he'll next make it over to the UK, we were apart for 4 months in the first wave. I am however flying out to Dubai the following week to renew my visa and as I am required to quarantine when I arrive back in the UK, I won't be able to visit them until after the actual birthday.

I love Alice in Wonderland, especially the Mad Hatters Tea Party, so decided an 'unbirthday' was just the way to go. 

Peter cut me some wood from the shed we've been repairing and I found some card and made sign posts, tea cups and hung playing cards from trees. The food was all heart shaped. 

Whilst Peter occupied child 2 and 2a, I set up the garden ready for the surprise.

We had a lovely afternoon, most of the food was smashed, but what wasn't eaten the dog hoovered up.

What 2019 held for us and the year ahead.

Lots of travel this year. January was the only month I didn't get on a plane. In total I've clocked up 132 hours of flying time to the UK, Northern Ireland, Dubai, Sydney and South Africa. I've lost track of the hours spent in taxi's and airport lounges.

January
I started the year on a roof top in Dubai, having watched the New Year Eve's fireworks, with my mum and Peter. After mum went home, I marshalled at the HSBC Championships and the Omega Desert Classic golf as part of the European Tour.

February
Child 2 and 2a came out for a visit, it was our Daughter in Laws first trip to our home. Great excitement a few days later after the holiday when they phoned to say they were having a baby.

I started the lengthy, painful and expensive dental surgery to have dental implants. It was a huge decision to make as I had to have a front tooth removed and wear a plate for several months until the implants took and I could have a permanent tooth fitted. I had 3 implants in total and I'm saving up for another 3 hopefully in October 2020.

March

There was a trip to the UK and sadly during this visit my Uncle died and I extended my stay to take Mum up to Blackpool for his funeral.

April
Our youngest child turned 20 and we were no longer parents to a teenager. Peter and I made another
trip to the UK to renew his passport.

May
I went over to South Africa to stay with friends and work with a couple of charities.

June
A trip to Ireland for a week with a friend, then up to Belfast to visit our daughter in law to be and her family. Child 4 was away with work. Over to the mainland for a week. Met my great nephew for the first time at 16 days old.

July and August
A visit to see child 3 in Australia. I flew to Sydney for 3 weeks and road tripped to Melbourne with my son child 3 who has been living over there for 2 years.

Our great niece Thing 4 was born.

September
Off to the UK and Northern Ireland for the arrival of our first grandchild, a little girl and the wedding of child 4 and 4a. Dental surgery complete. An endoscope revealed I have a wheat allergy, that was causing internal bleeding in my small intestine causing the iron deficiency anaemia and still no explanation to a high white blood cell count. Signed off from the oncologist.

October
Busy with the new baby, Peter had joined me for the wedding, then spent 2 weeks with our granddaughter. Decided to evict our tenants from our family home. We started our repatriation journey.

November
The Race to Dubai was on and I marshalled again for the 2nd year. Then a quick trip to the UK to get our house back, to say the last lot of tenants hasn't treated it well is an understatement.

December
Booked a last minute trip to South Africa for a week, whilst Peter is working out there. Obtained my Transfer of Residency and cat, dog and furniture move is booked and all paperwork is in place to get moving in 2020. I was also diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

2020

January
Mum and child 5 visiting. HSBC and Omega golf marshalling, flying back to the UK. Need to sell the car. Repairs and redecorating being carried out on UK home repairing damage after the tenants.

February
Cat and dog arrive in the UK, Peter visiting for a week.

Everything after the 14th of February is open to change.
I'm back in Dubai for a week or two in March as we have friends visiting, I also need to:

• Sell the garden
• Find an apartment for Peter to move into in May

Advice for the expectant grandparents and social media.

I'm was struggling so hard not to shout from the rooftops 'we have a granddaughter' It wasn't our news to share and I chanced my luck walking up town with a giant pink balloon with 'it's a girl' written all over it.

Our son and DIL didn't want visitors at the hospital other than grandparents and siblings and as soon as you tell one person, there's a risk they'll stick something on facebook to congratulate them or tag you in a grandparent meme. They wanted to make the announcement in their own time and make sure they told all their family and friends first.

We were all provided with a list of people we could tell when the baby was born, but not to say she'd gone into labour, as no one wanted to spend 2 days replying with 'promise to let you know when the baby is born'

When labour started and people were asking 'any sign of the baby yet?' I was bought a bit of time as her due date was the 20th and the baby arrived on the 16th and I could honestly say 'no, not yet' however at the time of writing the baby was 2 days old and I hated lying to friends and I'm pretty sure with the number of visits I've made to Gloucester this week (everyday) people are starting to guess.

I wish now when she told everyone she was pregnant that I'd added 2 weeks to the due date, that would have fended off a lot of questions this week.

I am extremely privileged to have such a wonderful relationship with my son and DIL and over the past week have spent a lot of time with the in laws and we all seem to be getting along very well.

My DIL will say 'no thanks' she will message me and say a time/date isn't convenient and will suggest an alternate one. She asks for advice, she listens if I suggest something and will politely say 'no thanks' or will tell me exactly what she would like from me.

As soon as she was admitted to hospital on Sunday night to have the baby, I was ready. I had nappies, pads, food, drinks etc in the car in case she needed anything. I had a book and snacks for anyone waiting and plenty of change for the drinks machines and car park. I headed over to the hospital to visit Child 1 for the afternoon and on my way home popped into the hospital to say 'good luck' they seemed pleased to see me.

There was a Baby group messaging on FB, which 2 and 2a updated us all throughout the day. Her parents, Peter and I and her brother and sister. I opted to stay away from the hospital during the day, but was nearby with child 1 again returning to the hospital at 5pm and staying until the baby was born.

I was very aware not to step on her mother's toes, there was no need to worry, but I didn't return to the hospital until her parents arrived.

I spent some time in the delivery room in the later stages when the contractions were every 2-3 minutes apart, but had no intention of staying in the delivery suite and her sister and I left to spend the next 3 hours sitting on chairs in the corridor, watching the ward doors waiting for the announcement that came in the form of a message on FB 'SHE is here' They'd opted not to know the sex of the baby in advance.

Once our son emerged from the room, he called his father, his gran and then I made the other calls to his brothers, aunts, cousins who were on the approved contact list.

The baby is now a week old. I had a day off from visiting the hospital as I knew the other Grandmother had that day off work and between us we've been to the house everyday to look after the influx of visitors, siblings, friends, great grandparents. I'm off to Belfast now for a week as another son is getting married, then my husband is returning with me to meet his grandchild for the first time.

I have worried I may be making a nuisance of myself, that I might outstay my welcome and very concerned I'd say something that might not be wanted, as in advice. But I don't have to worry, friends with new babies 6 months and 3 months have been around to offer more up to date and relevant advice about a whole range of things.

I asked permission yesterday to make a facebook post to announce we are now grandparents and used a photo of one of the cards we were sent. I've shared the news with friends online in private messages and with the odd photo in messenger and the babies name. Our son wants to know what business is it of people he doesn't know, but our DIL has met a lot of our friends and appreciates their value in our lives and their genuine interest in our family as we do of theirs.