NOW it's Friday!

It's finally here. I'm sat at the computer trying to think of something productive to do after being awake from 3AM by a kitten nibbling the bridge of my nose but I'm struggling to warm up today. I always find a blog post in the morning helps to awaken my brain. Though yeah, not working too well today xD

One thing about being a parent I've come to appreciate is that you never know when you're going to get a full night's sleep again, so you seem to be able to run on just a few hours here and there just as well as you can on eight hour's sleep - if a bit less enthusiastic.

Also being a new kitten owner seems to be remarkably akin to being a new parent: you have night wake-ups for play/food/to bite your nose and they attack you on sight (is that all children or just mine?) They're really cunning with their love; open the fridge and you're the most beautiful, amazing person they've ever seen, close it and you're invisible. I will admit I am a huge fan of the face strokes I get from both my daughter and my cat - who literally strokes me with her little paw, without claws!

Being the owner of a BearBear is a little different: she sleeps really well, she eats well, she comes for a love before bed and upon waking, she runs like a greyhound for about 20 minutes and then collapses for the rest of the day and she never barks or growls. Bear's biggest problem is that she won't go outside when the weather is mildly wet, she will hold her bladder all day long...I hope she's holding her bladder. XD

But I love them all, despite losing my mind trying to take care of them. Who thought it would be a good idea to let me be one of the only adults in the house? I, who's greatest achievement is finishing Sonic 3 in 25 minutes with all emeralds. *chest puff* I'm getting by on a wing and a prayer here. It's bloody hard work. My husband isn't any more mature than I am either so Google has become the Holy Grail. You'll find yourself Googling 'Why doesn't my child sleep?' more times in your first year than you'll Google pictures of Jason Mamoa, which is a shame as he's totally worth Googling. :/

So now I've rambled on and I have nothing else to add, apart from the fact that this entire brain-fart hasn't woken my brain today in the slightest. Maybe coffee will help.

Have a great weekend everyone!

NX

It's only Thursday.

So disappointed. I got it into my head that it was Friday today so I've been in a weekend mood all day, looked at my computer and no, it's bloody Thursday. *sigh*

We've had a tough week with yet another cold and also Lara's last four molars have decided they want to make their appearance AT THE SAME TIME so she's in a joyous mood. Right now we're in my bedroom and she's watching Frozen in bed - with a plate of pretzels by her side.

I'm sat here trying to think of something to write and get some ideas together for the sequel to Plagued, but I'm so congested that my brain just keeps coming back to Frozen. If, in my next book, Sarah and Mark start singing 'Do You Want To Build A Snowman?' I do apologize. Blame mum-brain.

Husband is on like 12-hour shifts too so when we get to spend some time together it's basically turning on the TV and vegging out with snacks. There's usually a kitten and dog thrown in somewhere too.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend as it's going to be a little research trip to the moors to get some ideas for the book, which is exciting as it means development is really starting now. Hopefully, I'm a little more experienced with horror now as I have given birth and also raised a toddler. Not to mention the strangeness that is Show Me Show Me *shudder*

On another subject: it's been nearly two weeks now since Cleo moved into our home and she's doing great. She's had her vaccinations and we've just had her microchipped so she can't escape us now! Mwahaha! Next month she'll be getting spayed so she can't get slutty out there in the wilds. Well, I suppose she still can, she just won't need child support payments from the father.

It's weird having a cat. I wake up with my eyeballs being licked and yesterday she fell asleep on my neck! I'm still not 100 percent sure she wasn't low-key trying to smother me but we'll see how it goes. We can use this blog post as evidence if it does happen. One down-side is that she likes to play with her noisiest toys in the middle of the night and bring them to you, just in case you wanted to join in. I spent last night taking bells off her toys before bedtime and she still managed to find one with bell intact!

So this weekend, I'm going to enjoy a small (large) glass of water (whisky) and have some wonderful exercise (lounging) around the country (house.) Hope you guys are as productive as I intend to be! ;)

It's been a LONG week!

NX

We have a new kitten!

We have a new addition to our family - no, you sadistic f**** I haven't had another child - she is a kitten called Cleo! Look at that face! 

Should have called her Phantom!

She's six months old and she's not scared of anything, she absolutely loves snuggling me and even Bear has taken to her. They sleep together now in the afternoon which is unusual for Bear as she's usually as anti-social as I am! My daughter loves her, she cried yesterday because Daddy took her away in a cat-box to get her microchipped. 

I've never had a cat before so everything she does is new to me. She's never had a 'Nik' before either so our interactions are sort of like deep studies of an unknown species. She has taken to my random bouts of song throughout the day now too, so that's good. I have noticed that I seem to be the victim of her hunts quite a lot more than the other members of the family, she goes out of her way to hunt me down whenever I'm moving or breathing. I'm playing Farcry: Primal at the moment so it's kind of like I need to throw some bait to tame her a little better. I'll be honest, I love it. She's brought so much fun and laughter to the household. 

The rest of us are doing great; full of cold at the moment but that's just what happens whenever the weather turns mildly cold around here. My Lara is now 2.5 years old and she thinks she's the leader of the pack. Cute as a button though. 

Look at that face! Not mine, mine looks worn out. Being a mother is quite difficult - and I only have one! I was planning on writing a little more here but it has just occured to me that my household has gone deathly silent and I can feel the panic rising in my chest as I realise I've left the box of chocolates on the counter and left the toddler downstairs. RIP Dairy Milk box :( 

NX 

Well, I'm back again.

It's been a long time since I posted last; mostly because I've had a child, moved twice, got married, and put nearly a stone of weight on from eating pizza. But I'm here!

This isn't going to be a big post, just wanted to let everyone know my boring old life is back online.

I'm currently sat upstairs on my dusty PC while my daughter plays on what used to be my Note tablet and we're watching The Secret Life of Pets for the 100th time this month. Not that I'm complaining; of all the films to choose this is probably one of the best. It's also made me kinda want a cat. *shrug*

Everyone is doing well in the Preskey House. We got married in June and we've moved back to my hometown so we're finally living mould free! Bear is doing great, she's happy now the kid is in the nursery and we can have some time to go running together.

Lara is thriving. She started walking at 9 months and saying sentences not long after that so it's pretty much her house now. We just sort of walk around on eggshells and try not to set off the 'toddler tantrum', which does not describe the episode in enough horror. Toddler tantrums are in fact better known as 'bitch fits'. Or Armageddon. Here's an example: this morning I asked her if she wanted chocolate spread on toast with blueberries, she said no. So I started to prepare her usual cereal and you know what she did? Screamed the place down. Why? Because she wanted chocolate spread on toast with blueberries. This is just a tiny example of why Ben and I drink whisky now. There's no other way to handle these outbursts other than heroin and we don't want to go down that route. I like teeth.

It's funny with her because she can go from the Devil to an angel in the space of five seconds. She punched me this morning for trying to brush her teeth and then a few seconds later, hugged me and told me she loved me 'the best'. Toddlers are bat-shit crazy. They're basically Negan.

Anyway, there's a dude downstairs putting us some flooring down (carpets and toddlers don't mix!) so I'll try to get back soon with some more terrible life lessons!

NX

Hey guys.

I have a new blog for all my baby stuff so hopefully I can finally start to get back to some good old gaming blogging soon on this one :) Here it is if you're interested - http://nerdwithanewborn.blogspot.com/2016/02/afternoon.html

Suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy

Hey guys, it's been a while! I've had a lot on the past few months and most of you will already know that I am 13 weeks pregnant.

I told a friend that I would write a little on a condition that I've had since I was around 6 weeks pregnant, called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It only happens in around 5% of pregnancies (according to the wise old internet) and most people won't have heard of it.

Unless I was to say, "The thing that Kate Middleton had in her pregnancy." Then you get a look of complete recognition.

Anyway, since it has played a big part in my life for what feels like forever, I wanted to write about it.

Hyperemesis is basically really severe morning sickness that barely allows you time to eat and drink, makes you retch uncontrollably at the smallest smell or even sight, affects every area of your life and can leave you bed-ridden and feeling extremely depressed and hopeless. I will post the NHS definition if you're looking for a more medical explanation but that's pretty much the jist of it.

Here's the link: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/severe-vomiting-in-pregnancy-hyperemesis-gravidarum.aspx

Sufferers of HG will know just how bad the sickness can get and how alone it can make you feel, especially considering the majority of doctors will not treat your sickness until you've ended up puking so much that your body is dehydrated enough to contain keytones in your urine. When that happens, they'll send you to hospital for a cocktail of anti-sickness drugs, vitamins and rehydration stuff until you're feeling better. Once you get home after a few days, they'll then decide you're sick enough to warrant anti-sickness medication until you feel more like yourself.

The problem with the above method is that by the time you're sick enough to count as dehydrated, you've probably already been suffering in silence with the condition for weeks or - God forbid - months and the chances are that you're feeling hopeless and depressed, had to take time off work and are struggling to get through each day. It really is that bad. But don't fret, once you've got the HG diagnosis, they take it very seriously. It is not good for your body to be dehydrated, especially when carrying a little person in your uterus.

My sickness started at six weeks and seemed to happen overnight. I started throwing up in the morning (expected) and sometimes throughout the day (also expected of pregnancy) but by two days later, it was uncontrollable.

Moving my head, standing up, sitting down, smelling certain foods or drink, or even taking too much of a deep breath set off the most painful retching of my life, which if I had nothing in my stomach, would continue until the toilet bowl was covered in bile.

Not only that but even when you're not being sick, your stomach is burning from the acid and it feels like there is someone's fist in your stomach gripping onto it tightly and squeezing until it nearly cripples you. Add that to the constant violent nausea that never goes away, no matter how many home morning sickness remedies you try. Now imagine feeling like this all day and retching/puking 20+ times a day and you've pretty much got what HG feels like. There is nothing that replaces it in your mind because it's so painful that you can't think of anything else.

My partner took me to the emergency doctors at 4am and I was given an anti-sickness injection along with a box of tablets called prochlorperazine to stop the sickness and give me the chance to actually drink some water.

Unfortunately they didn't work and a few days later I went back to the doctors and she gave me some different medication called promethazine, which I take at night. The first few days don't feel completely better but trust me, the ones after that are fantastic!

Fast forward seven weeks and I'm still taking them nightly. I can actually get through the day without puking uncontrollably. They really are lifesaving. The doctor said that, even if they didn't work, there are quite a few options they can try to help, so don't feel down if you haven't found the tablets that suit you yet. You will.

The worst part of having this condition is the loneliness. How can you explain to those around you that you're having something abnormal happen to you when it looks like a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom that is completely harmless? Answer is: You can't really, they have to see it for themselves. I don't think my partner fully believed I wasn't exaggerating until that 4am rush to the emergency doctors, but now he takes my sickness very seriously as well as the tiredness that comes with it. (And bloody hell it does!)

My main advice to anyone suffering this condition is to not do it in silence. Talk to your partner or family and friends, let them know what it feels like and moreso if the depression hits - and trust me, it can hit with vengeance. Speak to your doctor and keep speaking to them until they take your condition seriously and give you the treatment you need.

Lastly, don't give up! I know it can ruin your pregnancy high and it can even make you feel like you don't want to be pregnant at times, but it will get better. You will feel like your old self again, sooner or later, and your baby will totally be worth it. The baby is all I think about when my sickness gets me down and it still does occasionally. Oh well, only six months left, I can't be sick for the whole hog.........can I? XD

Take care,

Nik X

Plagued is available on Kobo!

Hey everyone, Plagued is now available on Kobo as well as Kindle. Here are the links for you: 

AMAZON UK 

AMAZON US 

KOBO 

My Facebook Author Page

My Website 

Hope you're all well, 

NX