Interim Results

Our Guardian Angel was most certainly with us today when I got a surprise call from Prof Jefferey's assistant Vicky. She called to tell us that the preliminary results from the CVS procedure were in and "its good news".

So far so good, no chromosomal defects have been detected. She advised us that we could "relax a lot" and that she would call again when she had the final results. We are feeling very relieved, however are fully aware that we are not home dry yet. Firstly we still have to wait for the final results which are still outstanding and even then it was very clearly explained to us that there could still be other problems that can only be detected when Jellybean is bigger.

Once again, THANKS a ZILLION to all of you, for all your support, understanding, prayers, love and positive energy you have sent our way over the past week! It has truly been one of the longest weeks we have had to endure and having not really slept since Sunday, are looking forward to the weekend to catch our breath. We remain positive and will keep you all posted as more information comes to light.

Only Time Will Tell...

Yesterday we were lucky enough to be called in for an appointment with Prof Jefferey. We were called in the morning and advised there had been a cancellation at 5pm and we were offered the appointment. So, at 3pm went dashing of to Pretoria as you never know what the traffic will do and this is one time neither of us were chancing anything. I must say, during the day, it felt like each second that passed was an hour and the day just dragged!!

Prof Jefferey did another scan of our little Jellybean and measured "him/her" to be just over 7cm head to rump and heart beat at 150 beats/min. We got to see arms and legs swimming about again and even all five little fingers waving in front of the face. On measuring the Nuchal Fold our worst fears were confirmed with an above average thickening of the fold. She remeasured a couple of times to ensure she was getting an accurate measurement and also poked my tummy to make sure Jb was not lying against the uterus wall. This was to confirm that what she was measuring was truly the nuchal fold and not including anything extra like the lining of the uterus.

She then did a computer generated calculation of our risk. This calculation takes the results from the triple screen blood test, my age as well as the nuchal fold measurement into consideration. Under normal circumstances our risk factor would be 1/564 but in this pregnancy our risk is escalated to 1/60. This is all still considered a screening test and is not a conclusive diagnosis. Factors to be considered are the risk of chromosomal defects - such as Down Syndrome, structural defects - like poor bone development or even heart problems. There have also been reported cases of perfectly healthy babies who for no apparent reason have a thickening of the nuchal fold.

Having had all this explained to us we were then offered the option of two diagnostic procedures, namely an amniocentesis which can only be done from 16 weeks or a CVS (chorionic villus sampling) which could be done immediately. Being diagnostic tests as opposed to screen tests the results are basically 100% accurate. Prof Jefferey is one of four doctors in SA who perform the CVS procedure. The other Prof who we were first referred to is another and then the other two are based in the Cape.

Basically, the CVS works on the same principal as an amnio - a needle is inserted into the placenta via the abdomen using the aid of the ultrasound to guide them to the correct location, cells from the placenta are drawn out and sent to be grown in the lab. The benefit of having the CVS as opposed to the amnio is that we will have a better idea with what we are dealing with sooner. We will have the initial results with a 95% accuracy next week Wednesday and the conclusive results approx 2 weeks after that - around 8 May. However should the CVS results come back negative for any chromosomal defects we then have to wait till 20-22 weeks when the structure/heart can be examined more clearly for any other defects.

I am to "rest and relax" till the end of the week because as with the amnio there is still a risk of miscarriage. The risk is between 1-2% internationally. As I mentioned before, we are just dealing with each bit of information as it comes to us and trying to remain positive.

Thank you all for all your love, support, good wishes, positive energy and prayers. Even if we are "scarce" for the next few days/weeks PLEASE keep them coming - God knows we need it right now! XXXXXXXX

Stubborn Already

Today Jellybean is 12 weeks and 5 days old and stubborn already! During our scan our little Jb was kind enough to show us "he/she" is actually human and no longer the alien I thought I may be carrying. The heartbeat was super strong at a whopping 159 beats/minute and the facial profile looked great with an adorable little button nose. Jb was very active and we could clearly see the legs, arms and even hands flying about. At one point we got a glimpse of legs extended with 1 foot over the other as if "he/she" is on dad's yacht!

However Jb was not the most co-operative when it was time to measure the "nuchal fold". This measurement is one of the indicators for chromosomal defects such Down Syndrome. It is very important to have baby lying in a specific position in order to get an acurate reading. So after much prodding and poking,which was not the most comfortable for me....., eventually the measurements were taken. There seem to be a variance between the measurements and sadly our Dr is not too happy with the nuchal fold measurements. Although she was extremely happy with the shape and size of the nose bone, she has decided to refer us to a Prof in Pretoria for a second opinion(the nose bone is also one of the indicators used to detect abnormalities) . You may ask why not a Dr in Joburg? Well the first refferal was for a JHB based Dr who unfortunately is currently out the country and his earliest appointment would be 28 May. The earliest we can see the Pretoria Prof is on Thursday at the Pretoria Academic Hospital on a 1st come 1st served basis. Unfortunately her private practice is over booked for tomorrow although we are on the list should there be a cancellation.

At the 12 week scan, in addition to the "Nuchal Translucency Thickness" measurement, the Dr will also do a triple screen blood test. The blood is tested for early indicators of any abnormalities such as Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida, these blood tests are merely indicators and are not conclusive. There may be false positives as well as false negatives.

As far as Thursday goes, we will have another scan and see what the second opinion measurements are. Being a government facility hence the 1st come 1st served rule, we plan to be there before they open, hopefully get registered early and then get to see her ASAP. We are truly hoping that this will all turn out to be fine and are very greatful to have modern technology so readily available.

Until then we will take each day as it comes and will make further decisions as we get more information.

I love my MA

Our little Rum Tum has always been an affectionate cat. Although he has a strong sense for "stranger danger" and seems rather aloof and snobbish when we have visitor he so enjoys being around Chris and I when we are home. Since I have been pregnant, this affection has been a lot more obvious and was one of the tell tale signs that things with me were most certainly different.

On Sunday, having had a rather busy weekend, with the trip to Ficksburg as well as my final wedding on Saturday I was feeling rather exhausted an took the opportunity to keep Chris company while he read the papers outside in the courtyard. As you can see I was being really lazy with not even a book in sight when Rum Tum decided it was time to play "find the fingers". It all started with him hiding behind my legs and then diving for my fingers. After a bit he just settled in between my legs as if he was going to be on the cover of the feline GQ while Chris snapped some pics.

You gotta just love our precious Rumble Tumble!

Going ...Going ...Gone!

So now D-Day 1 has come and gone and we have all survived to tell the tale....

D-Day 1 = The Great van Gelder Auction #1.

Chris and I went down to Ficksburg for some moral support for the big auction last week. We left JHB on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Ficksburg in time for some hearty home cooked food (which has been rather scarce in our home for the past 10 weeks) and a good old chin wag with the folks.

Friday morning the men were all busy from early while I tried to catch a few extra winks and Mom went for her weekly hair-do. By 9.30am we were all at the hall waiting with baited breath for the proceedings to start. There appeared to be quite a good flow of people through the hall "checking out" what they wanted to bid for. Amazingly enough in amongst the crowd were a few folk we had not seen for years..... Namely Duncan & Irene Winkworth. Duncan used to be the resident town vet when we were growing up but they had left to live in Bloemfontein some years ago and have an antique shop there in between still running the surgery and Irene's teaching at St Michaels. They were particularly interested in the Mel Brink paintings and managed to get the one they were most interested in. Also, another blast from the past was my old history teacher..... Michael Mitchley. It was great to seem him again and hear all about his antique shop & ...... a sore loss for the kids out there who wont have the opportunity to be taught by him. He also managed to get quite a few good pieces from our family home.

Then it was down to business and the bidding started. It is really sad to see the family treasures being sold off (sometimes for a steal and other times a seemingly worthwhile or high price) but also a good reminder that these are merely worldly goods and can never be taken with us when we go. Overall the sale went extremely well and here's hoping that the next one this Friday is just as successful!

One plus One makes Three

We are very excited to be new members of the "parents club" Although this membership is probationary we should ~ all things being equal ~ be fully fledged members by the end of October when our little jelly bean (JB) is due to make its appearance.

Today we had our first check-up and so far so good. JB has good heart beat at 139/min and is right where it should be for now. Dr is pleased and seemed quite in amid by what she was seeing. I must admit that it was quite awesome to see the fluttering heart beat but the rest really didn't make all that much sense to us lay parents-to-be. According to the scan, I am now 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant. However, this is all too confusing as according to my cycle dates I should be 8.5 weeks......... so we keep wondering??

The progesterone poisoning as aptly named in a book I am reading, commonly know as morning sickness and tiredness has its moments but am pleased to know it will pass within the next few weeks. And as a few of our JHB friends have already witnessed, "porridge brain" has also set in. Sadly, I have been assured that this will not pass so I must just get used to it.

Our next check-up is in April, so will keep you posted.

Was it the media threat?

A 2pm update......

How amazing, numerous phone calls with no real action till I took it upon myself to call Caxton Newspapers and tell them about the burst pipe and thousands of rands sailing down sixth and third ave. The journalist I spoke to said she was going to call JHB Water (she said that often the media get a real reaction going) as well as take a drive past herself. Within and hour or so after I spoke to her, the water had been turned off! Apparently we now really worried about all the wasted water......

and now another hour or so later - all of a sudden there is a team digging away to get to the root of the damage, while another team lies on verge across the road snoozing.

Unfortunately I was not able to get the 2 sleepers. As soon as they saw the camera they thought they may become famous and got to "work" around the vehicles and massive hole in the road.

So, who knows....... did the media get them jumping or was this truly the first opportunity they had to really attend to the problem?

There goes your tax payments

So, just in case you were wondering how the taxpayers money was spent this week. Have a look above, this is just outside our house and this water has be pouring from a burst pipe for +30 hours now. We have reported the fault to JHB Water numerous times and as you can see they are "attending to the matter"

Basically, sometime between 12 and 3pm yesterday they did come, opened up the tar, placed a cone in the road and left. I spoke to Floyd at around 4.30pm, was assured that the matter was in hand and were waiting for a part, Chris then spoke to them again a bit later and was assured they were en-route, I called again at 11.30 to be told by Wilson that they would be there by 3am.......This morning Chris called again at 6.30am and I called at 8.30am. Simon, the supervisor says it will be attended to during the course of the day.

About 5 months ago, the same pipe burst on a Fri night and was miraculously repaired by Sat lunch time. The whole in the road remained for a few months but the water was saved and residents could continue with normal living. This time round, its a week day and nobody seems able to get the job done.

So much for this being a precious resource that we need to conserve as the world is running low on it! JHB Water seems to believe that the more we let it run down the road the more we will get!

Home Sweet Home

We're back from a fabulous week in Switzerland. We arrived in Laax at around lunchtime last Saturday, dropped our luggage and changed into our ski gear and headed for the slopes. We arrived to no great snow but like "vaalies at the beach" still managed to get a run or 2 in before sunset. True to the weather forecast, we had plenty snow till Wednesday and much fun was had by all.

To draw comparisons to skiing in the USA, I would certainly vote for USA. Its just a pity that the travelling is that much further.....As a novice, I felt the slopes to be better groomed and skiers more polite whilst skiing and queuing for lifts and gondolas. The Europeans seem to have a free for all attitude and never mind the fact that you may have arrived at a table well before them and may be keeping places for your friends when they plonk themselves down right next to you and light up a cigarette right in your face. This happened to me twice, the second time I actually got up and walked away and stood waiting, I noticed they kept looking at me and were obviously discussing the situation. Guess we have been spoilt in SA with the divinely strict smoking laws.

Our apartments were great and we stayed in most nights. Each couple had a turn to cook whilst the rest of us relaxed.

On Saturday, we left LAAX relatively early as we were all keen to spend the day in Zurich. We has a lovely lunch in the old town and spent the afternoon shopping. Switzerland is a very expensive country so not much bargain buying to be had. Its more the fact of having bought it somewhere other than SA.

Idea on costs :
500ml (machine) coke on the slopes will cost 5CHF = R30
average lunch on slopes costs approx 30CHF = R180
pizza 18CHF = R108
bread 4CHF = R24
bread roll with ham & cheese = 7CHF = R42

as you can see not a cheap place at all but we really had a fantastic time and hope to go back someday.

Yodl-Ay-EEE-Ooooo

Yodl-ay-eee-oooo its of to Switzerland we go! Yay!!! As you all know we are off on our skiing holiday on Friday. Last night we decided to get our gear out and see if it still fits. I was very relieved that mine was still fine and Chris' a bit big for him - all that training has certainly paid of one way or another.

We are going in a group to LAAX, which is a small village outside Zurich. It is near to the village Flims, where Chris enjoyed his first skiing holiday and learnt to ski with Eleanor 3 years ago.

This year, Europe has had a particularly bad snowfall but in recent weeks the snow has been good and we have all agreed that there is certainly something to be said for skiing toward the end of the season. For those of you that would like to see more about it visit www.laax.com

I must admit than amid all the excitement, I am also a little nervous... the whole theory that its "like riding a bike" - once you know how, you'll will always be able - I have yet to prove this theory to myself........

We will be staying in 2 adjoining apartments at Cassa Bella - this is a short walk from the ski lifts and best of all, we have a ski-in option. This means that when you have had enough skiing for the day you can go down the slope straight home with no waiting for buses etc.

Well done Shaun on all the organising!

Its a Jungle out there

One of the problems with "having your head in the clouds" is that you often forget what you have intended to do....

Whilst sorting though my photos to be printed I came across this photo taken on the 11th Jan! To take you back in time and paint the picture around my intention for the photo and supposed post on the blog here goes....

We have been away from home since the 26th Dec, Jhb has had a lot of rain, the Londoners get stranded in Jhb on their way home with Leo's measles. So we come back to Jhb to enjoy the bonus time with them and some unexpected time around the house. We have also not mowed the lawn since before the wedding pending a quick fix to the new lawn mower which on its highest setting still cuts the grass too short. Brett and Chris got stuck in doctoring the lawn mower while Lara and I did some grocerey shopping. With Emma to chivvy him along Chris decides to get stuck in and sort the jungle out. He soon realised that what we thought may be a small garden is plenty big enough especially when you have to do the mowing. Leo was also most intrigued by the lawn mower and for the duration of his stay with us if we asked him where Chris was he would imitate the sound of the lawn mower. Also, while we were away, we think the pool overflowed and this has caused some irreparable damage to the grass that was looking so great before we left.

Solution : buy more instant lawn and relay it and be ever so careful to keep the pool at the right level!

Back to Reality

We have been married just over 6 weeks now and although my head is still somewhere up in the clouds I realise its probably time to come back down to earth and face the real world again.

After the wedding, we came home so that a) Chris could get back to work for "close-out" & b) we could spend some time with the Smeetons (Chris' sister)

We had a lovely week at home with the family and an exciting Christmas. Santa made a brief stop here for Oliver & Xavier but thought he had better leave the bulk of their gifts in Bloomington due to luggage constraints. On boxing day we flew down to Durban for an extremely rushed 2 day visit with my family. We also got to meet the newest member of the tribe, Little Riley and she stole our hearts immediately! We spent a lovely day on the beach with the Londoners and Parnell girls.

On the 28th it was back to JHB and then off to the undisclosed honeymoon destination. I was convinced we were heading east to Thailand or Bali and Chris very cleverly managed to get us checked through to our final destination without spilling the beans. It was only when we got to the boarding gates that I found out we were of to MAURITIUS! Wow, we had an absolutely magical time. We stayed at La Pirogue and spent 10 days sunning/sleeping/reading/eating and drinking. Now you can understand why its so hard getting back to the real world. We got back to SA and still had a week of holiday time. We spent another 2 days in Durban and came rushing back to JHB when Brett & Lara were stranded here due to Leo getting measles. As horrible as it is that Leo wasn't well we were all too happy to have the opportunity to see a bit more of them.

Since the 15th its been "business as usual" I have had a slow work month but have taken the opportunity to get really settled at home, getting all the relevant parties have my name change details etc..........So here's to a less frantic 2007!

You better not doubt...... Santa came to town

We have been married for just over a week and been living in our house just over 2 months and stil Santa managed to find us.

For the first time in about 12 years all the Atkinson's are together for Christmas. We have been fortunate enough to spend our first Christmas in our new home with the Smeeton's (Chris' sister and family) and his folks.

Sadly Santa was not able to bring all the boys gifts over but he left them a note saying he had made a stop at their home in Bloomington as well.

Looks like he made a feast of the treats Oliver set our for him..........

Rumble Tumble

Last night after we had opened all our spoils, I got stuck in to pack it all away and turned around to see Rum Tum nestled into my wedding dress on the kitchen counter.

Now, I have never seen him on the counter before - even if there are dirty dishes around so I was very surprised and although it was a very sweet sight, it was most certainly not to be encouraged....

I quickly snapped the shot and then chivied him off the counter and covered the dress properly. (I had left it out with the full intention of taking it off to be cleaned)

Ag Shame!!!! Not allowed to attend the wedding and then chased off the dress and its just oh so comfy - what can I do MOM!!!

Spoilt Rotten

Well I think the pictures say it all!!!!!
We have been so spoilt and will thank you all appropriately when we return from our honeymoon in January

The Dust has Settled

Wow, what a year we have had! This past weekend we finally got married. What a fantastic weekend with all our nearest and dearest. The weather was really kind to us and we had a few drops of rain at the rehearsal on the Friday as well as on arrival to Moolmanshoek after photos. It is said that rain on you wedding day is a blessing, and we have truly been blessed by the rain at all the appropriate moments so to not disrupt the proceedings of the day.

No wedding is complete without a few minor hiccups.....
* Chris and Dion almost missing the service due to a flat tyre
* Brian O not having a tie from Euro Suit
* Max sticking her finger in the fan during the ceremony
* Mark & Jo shredding a tyre on the way home
these are just a few that we will all giggle about in years to come.

Plato said that we are born half a circle & spend most our lives seeking out our other half. Together we have found our other half and completed the circle.

Tree Frog ..... NOT

With Christmas just around the corner and us finally living in a free standing house with a garden with gigantic jacaranda tree, we decided to get into the Christmas spirit and put some lights in our tree. While at Makro today we deliberated on the length of the lights and felt that maybe the 45m would be too long. Eventually we decided to just go with the longer length and this afternoon Chris reverted back to his childhood and climbed into the tree to string the lights. We soon realised that in actual fact 45m is not that long but will do the trick for now. So a jolly HO HO....

Pamper time

Last Saturday, I was truly spoilt!!! In fact, not only once, twice but THRICE.

While in London, Lara, cooked a special breakfast and she and Emma then presented me with a lovely gift.

Then after Kelly & Rory's wedding we went through to Durban for the day. Shortly after we arrived at Mark's, the doorbell rand and low and behold there were the Hewisons and Merv. Melanie had managed to secretly get hold of some of the Durbanites and have a little get together for me. I was hugely surprised!! With hindsight, I must admit everyone had been a little out of character leading up to the weekend while making arrangements to get together for lunch, but never would I have thought that's what was cooking!

Finally JHB....With my bridesmaids so far away, Jeanie & Tracy K offered to organise a pamper party for me. Poor Jeanie had been given so many "DO NOTS" that I think she regretted her offer. I was adamant that I was not be dressed-up or made a fool of. When it came to reveling my spoils, I was to take a piece of paper from a bowl. Jeanie then read what had been written and I was to guess who it was from. The idea behind it was "remember when". Once I had successfully guessed who's remember when had been read, I was allowed to open the pressie. This is truly the nicest way to break the ice and for some of the girls to get to meet each other before the wedding. I am so blessed with fantastic friends and we had a very civilised afternoon-even though we had a little stripper. Thanks Luke for being the cutest bare body we could have wished for!

Homely bliss

I know it has been a while since our last update. Things in the "gonnabe" Atkinson household have been somewhat hectic to say the least. We finally moved into our mansion just over a month ago and have settled in rather well. As with all new builds and renovations we have had a few teething problems but fortunately nothing to drastic. I think the most amusing teething problem was the discovery of our heated toilets Thanks Shaun for finding it) The plumbers had somehow managed to plumb hot water to our 2 downstairs toilets. While the idea of how hygienic it could be we also realised how costly it could be. That has been rectified..... Other than that we had the odd leak etc.

During our first month here we have had little time to enjoy the fruits of our labour. With yet another trip to London for the Odendaal wedding, a trip to Natal for the Lindsay wedding, a trip to Ficksburg to organise our wedding, bachelor and pamper parties etc etc. Whilst we have been here, there have been odd jobs to perform around the house. Chris has got quite good at delegating others to use his tool box.

I will endeavour to try post some internal photos soon.....

Friend or Foe

Two weeks after we moved into our house we dashed of to London for Brian and Lisa's wedding. We had a fantastic trip albeit all to rushed with merely 2 nights there. We also had a lovely time with Brett, Lara and the kids. I have been especially lucky to have seen them 4 times this year. Shortly after we got home, I noticed some glass on the floor in my studio. After a little investigation, I discovered a bullet hole through the window. This is rather disturbing as it seems to have been deliberate rather than an accident. Why I say deliberate, is that there were in actual fact TWO shots fired. The first only damaged some plaster/paint work but the second has gone through the window, hit the ceiling and then wall finally landing on the floor. Our basic CSI has determined that it came from across the road at a slight angle. As far as suspicions go, we feel it may have been a disgruntled subcontractor who admitted to misleading me in his quote and then proceeded to overcharge us. As you can expect, Chris has refused to pay and hence this debacle.