It's been a while...
(Believe it or not, this post has been sitting on my desktop in various states of completion for two weeks. You wouldn't think it could take so long to write a simple post.)
I'm still alive and I'm starting to claw my way back to normality. I can't believe I haven't been online or checked my email for so long. I owe people apologies for that, especially erastes because I finished Standish weeks ago and I haven't even told her how much I loved it (more on that later) and also to the_ladys_opal who deserves a much better sister and OMG I am DYING to catch up with you hon. Also to everyone who's commented and emailed me to ask me if I'm OK and I haven't even replied - I'm so sorry. It's just been MENTAL.
So what have I been up to? The short answer for people who don't do babies is this: Had baby, am now locked in feeding/changing/washing routine but overall it's going very well and she's doing great. The longer answer for those who can handle it (complete with pictures) is this:
Well. The last time I posted I promised a picture, I believe, so here she is, plus being tortured by Sam which is par for the course.
I'm utterly in love with her. It never hit me like this with Sam, it was a slow process over the course of the first year, but with her it was almost immediate. And she smiles now which is just heaven. You wouldn't think it could be fun to spend like an hour screeching in a high pitched ridiculous voice just to get a smile.
The birth was OK as births go. It hurt to buggery, obviously, but I shan't go into too much detail in case the_ladys_opal is reading this, since she's doing it herself in May, but in general it was a much more positive experience than Sam's birth. It was straight forward, and the pain itself was more functional and progressive, if that makes any sense, rather than just endless hell. She was 8lb 13 anyway, which is a bit less than i thought so that was good. And all the problems I had with the pregnancy went away almost over night. God it's good to be able to go up and down stairs again, and SLEEP ON MY BELLY OMG!
After that she settled really quickly. I'm still breastfeeding, which is odd, since I said I wasn't even going to bother trying this time. I don't really like it but I shall keep it up for as long as I can stand it. I'm realy sick to death of having to whip my (unfesibly large) tits out every five seconds, and being constantly damp as well which is never pleasant. Someone needs to invent a breast pad that WORKS.
Ummm what else to tell you? She sleeps really well. From 7pm to 7am with two wakes which is good. Sooo different to Sam - he was awake every twenty minutes and needed constant stimulation where as Maya is happy to sit and stare at a moderately interesting lampshade for half an hour. Makes life sooo much easier. Her name is Maya, did I mention that? I still can't quite believe I had a baby. It hasn't sunk in yet...
*wanders away bleary eyed*
Now onto more important things: STANDISH. Didja read it yet? No? WELL BLOODY WELL GO AND GET IT. I'm still reeling from it weeks after finishing it - it's a rollercoaster and my heart was in my mouth more than once.
The first thing that I have to mention is the characters - there are three wonderful works of art in this novel and all are complex and rich, particularly Rafe who is first strikes as a (damn sexy) nasty piece of work. Problem is, the more you get to know about him the more you root for him and fall for him. He starts to show vulnerability and before you know it, you're every bit as wrapped around his little finger as poor Ambrose. Ambrose is an innocent, albeit an innocent with a stubborn, headstrong streak. The power balance shifts between the two throughout the novel beautifully, with both acting as protector when needs must. The third character who I just adore is Fleury, who starts out as a seductive jack-the-lad but soon begins to exhibit a darker side.
Having read a fair bit of Erastes' writing, I was expecting this to be beautifully written and thought provoking, and I wasn't in the least dissapointed but something else has struck me recently as I read more historical pieces, and that's an amazing attention to detail. Standish always feels authentic and I find the little historical touches fascinating.
Of course I have to mention the sex too, which almost killed me dead. From the moment Ambrose gave the unconscious Rafe a bedbath I was in heaven. Erastes writes wonderful UST and this was heart-stopping stuff. Fleury's seduction of Ambrose too was fabulous - I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers but I will say that it never felt like gratuitous sex. What stood out more to me was the tenderness and the romance in Standish. Again I don't want to spoil but there is a moment of sacrifice that breaks you into little pieces.
This really is a wonderful read and I was gutted to finish it - well worth the wait. erastes, I'm so proud, hon *sniff*
Anyway, she's currently asleep in her swingy chair so I'm going to post this quick before I have to go again. I can't promise that I'm back for good but I start work one morning a week next week so I should at least have a little more time to keep up with posting. I've really missed you all - I couldn't count the number of times I've sat and mentally written posts and emails in my head. It's frustrating to not have the time to do them. And thank you again for all the comments while I was in labour and after - I've printed the pages out and put them in my baby box, sentimental fool that I am. :D
I'm still alive and I'm starting to claw my way back to normality. I can't believe I haven't been online or checked my email for so long. I owe people apologies for that, especially erastes because I finished Standish weeks ago and I haven't even told her how much I loved it (more on that later) and also to the_ladys_opal who deserves a much better sister and OMG I am DYING to catch up with you hon. Also to everyone who's commented and emailed me to ask me if I'm OK and I haven't even replied - I'm so sorry. It's just been MENTAL.
So what have I been up to? The short answer for people who don't do babies is this: Had baby, am now locked in feeding/changing/washing routine but overall it's going very well and she's doing great. The longer answer for those who can handle it (complete with pictures) is this:
Well. The last time I posted I promised a picture, I believe, so here she is, plus being tortured by Sam which is par for the course.
I'm utterly in love with her. It never hit me like this with Sam, it was a slow process over the course of the first year, but with her it was almost immediate. And she smiles now which is just heaven. You wouldn't think it could be fun to spend like an hour screeching in a high pitched ridiculous voice just to get a smile.
The birth was OK as births go. It hurt to buggery, obviously, but I shan't go into too much detail in case the_ladys_opal is reading this, since she's doing it herself in May, but in general it was a much more positive experience than Sam's birth. It was straight forward, and the pain itself was more functional and progressive, if that makes any sense, rather than just endless hell. She was 8lb 13 anyway, which is a bit less than i thought so that was good. And all the problems I had with the pregnancy went away almost over night. God it's good to be able to go up and down stairs again, and SLEEP ON MY BELLY OMG!
After that she settled really quickly. I'm still breastfeeding, which is odd, since I said I wasn't even going to bother trying this time. I don't really like it but I shall keep it up for as long as I can stand it. I'm realy sick to death of having to whip my (unfesibly large) tits out every five seconds, and being constantly damp as well which is never pleasant. Someone needs to invent a breast pad that WORKS.
Ummm what else to tell you? She sleeps really well. From 7pm to 7am with two wakes which is good. Sooo different to Sam - he was awake every twenty minutes and needed constant stimulation where as Maya is happy to sit and stare at a moderately interesting lampshade for half an hour. Makes life sooo much easier. Her name is Maya, did I mention that? I still can't quite believe I had a baby. It hasn't sunk in yet...
*wanders away bleary eyed*
Now onto more important things: STANDISH. Didja read it yet? No? WELL BLOODY WELL GO AND GET IT. I'm still reeling from it weeks after finishing it - it's a rollercoaster and my heart was in my mouth more than once.
The first thing that I have to mention is the characters - there are three wonderful works of art in this novel and all are complex and rich, particularly Rafe who is first strikes as a (damn sexy) nasty piece of work. Problem is, the more you get to know about him the more you root for him and fall for him. He starts to show vulnerability and before you know it, you're every bit as wrapped around his little finger as poor Ambrose. Ambrose is an innocent, albeit an innocent with a stubborn, headstrong streak. The power balance shifts between the two throughout the novel beautifully, with both acting as protector when needs must. The third character who I just adore is Fleury, who starts out as a seductive jack-the-lad but soon begins to exhibit a darker side.
Having read a fair bit of Erastes' writing, I was expecting this to be beautifully written and thought provoking, and I wasn't in the least dissapointed but something else has struck me recently as I read more historical pieces, and that's an amazing attention to detail. Standish always feels authentic and I find the little historical touches fascinating.
Of course I have to mention the sex too, which almost killed me dead. From the moment Ambrose gave the unconscious Rafe a bedbath I was in heaven. Erastes writes wonderful UST and this was heart-stopping stuff. Fleury's seduction of Ambrose too was fabulous - I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers but I will say that it never felt like gratuitous sex. What stood out more to me was the tenderness and the romance in Standish. Again I don't want to spoil but there is a moment of sacrifice that breaks you into little pieces.
This really is a wonderful read and I was gutted to finish it - well worth the wait. erastes, I'm so proud, hon *sniff*
Anyway, she's currently asleep in her swingy chair so I'm going to post this quick before I have to go again. I can't promise that I'm back for good but I start work one morning a week next week so I should at least have a little more time to keep up with posting. I've really missed you all - I couldn't count the number of times I've sat and mentally written posts and emails in my head. It's frustrating to not have the time to do them. And thank you again for all the comments while I was in labour and after - I've printed the pages out and put them in my baby box, sentimental fool that I am. :D