Thirty-five week belly shot

Well, thirty-four weeks and five days actually, but who's counting? This one's a bit unconventional... since as you can see Flo's standing on her head. But you at least get a good idea of the belly and ironically, this yoga pose gives the baby's head a rest, since for the past couple of weeks her head has been engaged in Flo's pelvis and she's been spending most of her life upside down.

Don't worry, it's not dangerous... Flo was under the careful supervision of her Yoga instructor and you can probably make out this picture was taken inside a Yoga studio, which happens to be two doors down the street from our house, which is very convenient!


Meanwhile, while Flo was at Yoga, Boris was at home helping me out with the laundry.

Thirty-four weeks and back in hospital

This weeks Flo's been much better. She's obviously pregnant and therefore gets tired in the afternoon and heads off to bed for a quick snooze, but other than that she's been quite perky. She managed a couple of light yoga sessions this week and we've been on some small grocery shopping outings and went to the cinema for a matinee on Monday.

Today we returned to the hospital for a routine check up with the midwife. Flo's weight and blood pressure were fine, but when it came to measuring the baby's heart rate, it was a bit on the high side at around 190 bpm (beats per minute). This concerned the midwife a little so she rang the gynaecology ward where Flo was once again hooked up to the cardiotocograph machine. One and a half hours later, a trainee gynaecologist came and interviewed Flo and after the proper one came and had a look Flo had some blood taken to test for infections (again). An appointment with one of the hospitals senior and specialist gynaecologists has also been made so that he can take a closer look at the baby's heart on the ultrasound scanner.

During the one and a half hours of monitoring, the baby's heart rate returned to a normal 150 bpm and Flo and I are both pretty confident that the elevated heart rate is simply a function of the baby being so active, since she was kicking and thumping around quite a bit all morning. However, it's better to be safe than sorry so, despite being a bit frustrated with having to spend another couple of hours in the hospital today (although we did get a free hospital lunch out of it!) I suppose it's worth it just to ensure that the baby is fit and healthy.

Flo received a phone call from the gynaecologist late this afternoon to confirm the appointment with the specialist next Friday and also informed that the results from the blood tests were negative, so nothing has been identified wrong with Flo at least. So now we sit tight 'til Friday...

Otherwise, things seemed to be going well. If you can ignore the sensors in the picture here, you can see that Flo's belly is developing nicely and is now a lovely, full bulge. It's funny watching it in the evening and seeing movement inside of it... a bit alien-esqué. Our little girl can certainly be pretty active... this morning when we were waking up, Flo pulled my hand onto her belly and within thirty seconds I felt a little limb moving around inside her... which made me smile as I still find it a bit unnerving! It's such a weird idea, the thought of a little human inside another.

It's not all been babies this week though. We've recently noticed a wet patch emerging under the paving stones in the back garden after using the bathroom and/or toilet upstairs. When I initially saw it I was feeling pretty proud of myself, since I'd done an enormous poo (I blame the healthy food that Flo's been feeding me) and thought I might have plugged up the plumbing. Anyway, Flo gave the builder a call and to his credit he was pretty efficient at getting a plumber to come 'round and have a look and give the house a colonoscopy. Turns out our one hundred year old plumbing had finally had its day and a section of it needed replacing with some modern PVC stuff. So, that's another thing sorted on the house!


Boris and Boika seem to be very happy that we've been spending so much time at home. In fact, I think they're getting a bit too used to it and starting to take a few liberties... like expecting food and water from the tap on demand and copious amounts of attention (only when they want it of course). Boika seems to be struggling to adapt to our more leisurely morning rise, not failing to wake us up at 7 a.m. every morning for her biscuit breakfast with a barrage of meowing at our bedroom door. But they still like to indulge in each others company occasionally and snuggle up together on the sofa. In fact this fleece blanket that my mum gave us has become Boris' comfort blanket... he gets upset if he can't find it to lie on since he loves to cuddle up to it! Anyway, in the picture above you can see him giving a mighty kitty raw after I woke them up returning home yesterday afternoon. Don't you just want to give them a big hug!

Where's Boris?

A view from the top (or two alternative belly pictures)

Apparently pets can sense its owner being pregnant. Although Boris and Boika probably don't understand that in a couple of months a new baby will be joining us, I am sure that cats are indeed very intuitive and can detect some changes going on.

Since the bump really started showing, the pair of them has undeniably been extra clingy. They need to be near me all the time, curled up on the sofa or just following me around the house. And at night Boika sleeps in front of our bedroom door, like a true guardian kitty.

With Jonny being away, they fight for lap time. From time to time, they like to think that they are still little kittens, but there is really no way that they both fit on my lap at the same time.

First come, first served. Most of the time, Boika gets to my lap first. In fact my bum just barely has to touch the sofa and Boika is on my lap, nuzzling into my stomach.

Just before I took this picture she had her paws on top of the bump, so she was sort of hugging my belly. A few days later, Boris did the same. Maybe they find the heartbeat from our little girl soothing! It is certainly very sweet.

Err, the pictures don't actually show my belly at all. I'll have to ask Jonny to do a new belly shot, since the bump is becoming more and more visible every day. Some people say it's got to do with being at home and relaxing. I think it has more to do with the third trimester having started and that being the time the baby grows most (in absolute terms).

Pet stress

Last night we took Boris and Boika to the vet for their yearly injections. This involved some running away (them), catching manoeuvres (us), nails (them) and lots of meowing (also them).

The good news is that Boika has lost the 10% of her body weight she had previously gained. We thought that was really quite impressive, given her enormous love for biscuits and no amount that satisfies her hunger. The vet simply said she still had love handles. Better than being called a tea cosy!

We also asked the vet about the bold patch just above Boris' tail. He had a quick look and then sort of tore off what skin was left with his lice comb. Dunno why he did that, since it ended up being a big bloody patch instead. Needless to say I was absolutely horrified! The vet went on to say it would have come off soon anyway, as the skin looked like parchment. If this had happened during my first trimester I probably would have cried. Or shouted at him. Or both. In hindsight, I should have... Poor kitty!

The bold patch is most likely from him being stressed. Given that we have had builders and painters around for the last 9 weeks, no wonder. It would get the most balanced of cats slightly stressed. Both cats spent most of their days hiding in the spare bed. Under the duvet.


We got him a pheromone diffuser. The diffuser mimics the natural feline facial pheromones creating a state of well-being and happiness. Or so says the packaging. I really hope so because I would love to have a happy kitty again. After all, soon he will have to get used to the idea of not being the baby of the house anymore and somehow I think that might be a shock for him too....

Home alone

Of course I don't normally eat on the sofa. And of course I don't let our cats lick our empty plates. But with Jonny away on business and being home alone, I let my otherwise very high standards slip a little...

Apparently tomato ketchup is really good for you, it contains lots of lycopene. Boris liked it too.

Soaking up sun

Our little garden is on the north east, so it does not get a lot of sun. Also because it is surrounded by buildings, most notably our own extension.

So whatever sun there is must be appreciated!

Since we were painting today, we had the doors open. Boris took the opportunity to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. He followed the rays all day long, going along the wall, lying in the soil where the sun was. Bless!

Floor's delivered!

After what seems like an eternity, we finally got our arses in gear (actually, I can't take any of the credit other than for nagging Flo) and arranged for the floor to be installed. It's an epoxy floor, installed in three layers, which of course takes time. Three days in fact, one for each layer.


The timing was great... I was away all last week on a course, so wasn't inconvenienced in the slightest. Flo, however, had to spend three nights with her parents (thank you Flo's parents!) and the poor kitties had to spend three days locked in the back of the house! But it was a small price to pay... their toy mouse slides very well on the floor and they seem to enjoy skating on it, standing on it with their front paws while propelling themselves forward with their rear legs.

The house looks much fresher and much bigger now with the new floor... and it's given us incentive to continue and aspire to get the house finished this summer. That house warming party is starting to look like like a real possibility for the spring now...

And I can't finish this post without saying thank you to Jim for helping move the furniture out and back in again before and after the floor fitting... thank you! And Boris and Boika say sorry for making you sneeze and itch so much.

Homely

I've been promising peeps an update on the house for weeks now... and finally... here it is. Well, sort of. The house is currently in a bit of a state of flux, still unfinished in parts and still with lots of unpacked boxes from the move. Slowly but surely, we're getting there. Boxes are slowly disappearing as we either throw things away, find places to store them or Flo manages to sell them on Marktplaats.nl.

Thanks to my Dad, we officially have a garden, since it now has plants. And Boris and Boika love it! They particularly enjoy grass, which shows that they've integrated well into Dutch society.


My Daddy will be pleased to see that we've hung the bird table (quite literally, with a neat, tidy, thirteen wraps hangman knot) and we've attached trestles to the wall to assist the climbing plants.

Inside, we've managed to remove most of the rubbish that had collected at the front of the house, which leaves us with lots of space to park our bikes and store unpacked boxes. And it's now very light at the front of the house, since the newspaper has been finally been removed from the front window and replaced with some semi-transparent foil, which lets some light shine through, but prevents people from being able to see in. Boris is particularly fond of this new arrangement since it gives him the opportunity to keep an eye on the world... I suppose it's his equivalent to the world wide web.


There's not a whole lot to report for the rest of the house. A solution for the floor at the front is being chased and should be closed out by mid January, we're waiting for a quote for blinds and curtains and the stainless steel counter for the kitchen should have arrived within a couple of weeks, but has been delayed until January. So, looks like the house warming party will turn out to be a joint Jonny and Flo birthday party too.

Despite the house not being completely finished, it already feels much more homely than our previous rented house. Despite the clutter and mess, we're able to get on with our day to day lives and as we'd hoped, the layout of the new house feels much more sociable than before, since we're invariably within eye contact or at least audible range, which makes us feel like we're together, even when we're busy doing our separate things.


The kitties appear to be settling in and relaxing in the new home. They particularly seem to enjoy the floor heating, since it means they're happy to slump pretty much anywhere on the floor and feel warm. They sit and stay close to us... so we're one big happy family!

Zen and the art of being a kitty

The kitties had a go at the game of Rummikub this week. Boris then decided that the box was best used for lying in and relaxing after a hard week of being a kitty.

Barbeque bunk bed

Today the Netherlands feel like Dubai in the summer, including the humidity. Only difference is that in Dubai everything was air-conditioned: houses, offices, shops, restaurants; so to escape the scorching desert heat we used to avoid being outside as much as possible and run from the house to the car and from the car into the office and vice versa. A bit like we do here in the middle of the winter.

In the Dubai summer Boris and Boika used to lie in the door opening straight under the air-conditioning looking into the garden, enjoying the best of both worlds. As we have neither at the moment, they just sort of drop down somewhere and and try not to move too much. A very sensible thing to do.

When I enter the room that they are lying in they half lift their little heads and look at me, as to say: "please make this heat stop. We are Russian Blues and our coats are not designed for this."



I tried telling them about hot air going up and the attic really not being the best place to be in in this weather, but to little avail. To alleviate their misery a bit I moved the fan into the room. They seemed to like it.



However, they soon found an even better solution to withstand the heat:

Cool for cats

 
Boris has been a bit moody of late, mainly a function of the warm weather we've been having.

We're starting to find him in more and more unusual places. Today we found him lying in the book case, probably to escape the heat, although maybe he's just a smarty-cat trying to figure out who's moved his cheese? 

Boris and Boika are friends again

 
After a couple of days of continued hissing from Boris towards Boika and of Boris sulking under the duvet all day, he's finally made friends again with Boika. This was verified when Flo saw them drinking at the tap together earlier today.

ahhh... isn't that sweet! 

Boika feeling effects of anesthetic

 
After visiting the vet yesterday, we were informed that they would have to put Boika to sleep under a general anesthetic in order to perform a visual inspection of her throat. Neither of use were too happy with this, since given Flo's recent experience we're well aware of the fact that being under general anesthetic is by no means fun. However, given that Boika was unable to eat, we both felt it was the only option.

So we left Boika with the vet for the afternoon while we continued with our weekend chores. Around 3pm we got a call from the vet saying that everything had gone to plan and that we could pick Boika up around 5pm.

When we went to pick her up, the vet showed us the thin blade of grass that had been removed from Boika's soft pallette. There's was a little bit of soft, bloody tissue on it suggesting that it was anchored in place pretty securely, so probably would not have come free for some time... indicating that we'd probably taken the right course of action taking her to the vet. He also told us that they almost missed spotting it. The vet who performed the procedure couldn't find anything, but then the vet we spoke to said that he had a look, determined that something was there given our conviction and description of Boika's behaviour. Eventually, he spotted the piece of grass "round the corner of her throat" and apparently it was very tricky to spot amongst the mucus.

Boika was still extrememly out of it when we saw her; she couldn't stand, although was trying repeatedly, but falling over at every attempt. Very unlike her, she didn't make a noise when she was placed in her transporter box.

We gave her lots of attention when we got home, but unfortunately we had to seperate Boris from her while she recovered. When he saw her still under the effects of the anesthetic he reacted very strongly and started hissing and moaning at her. We were a bit concerned that he might start being aggressive to her, so we kept them seperated for the rest of the night.

This morning Boika was looking and acting much more like her old self, which was a huge relief; it's not nice seeing your beloved pets go through so much stress and anguish. She was still acting a bit timid, but was walking around exploring and wanting her food.

The next step was to introduce her and Boris back together. This didn't go so well, since Boris was still doing the hissing and moaning routine. The difference now was that Boika was holding her ground and in fact seemed quite relaxed about it all, if a little bit upset and being treated so coldly by her brother. What I did notice however was that it appears to be Boris who is the one that is scared of Boika; as I mentioned, Boika doesn't seem scared of Boris' behaviour in the slightest. So I think things will return to normal... it might just take a couple of days. 

Boika's not very well

 
Boika's been coughing alot yesterday and this morning and, very unlike her, she's not been eating. Seems that she has an obstruction in her throat, probably from eating the plants that Flo received as a get well gesture from her colleagues at work (a bit ironic really).

So, we're taking her to the vet in a bit to see if we can get the obstruction removed. Unfortunately it's the weekend, which means having to drive a bit to visit a vet that is open today. But she's worth it! 

Boika's diet going to plan

 
"I lost 400 grams in 1 month on the Jonny and Flo diet plan" said Boika yesterday evening.

After last month's visit to the vet, we've been pretty ruthless with Boika's diet, only letting her eat her special "obesity" biscuits. She seems to be getting used to the new regime, which involves letting Boris eat his normal biscuits first before letting Boika into the kitchen to eat her special diet.

Initially, she used to get a bit upset as we threw her out of the kitchen at feed times; she'd run upstairs and sulk for half an hour before finally coming downstairs to eat. But now she doesn't seem to mind and just needs to be asked to leave the kitchen... she trots out of the kitchen and upstairs for 5 minutes, before coming back down for her food.

What a very civilised kitty she is! And as a result she's lost about 10% of her original body weight, which means she's about half way to our goal... we think she should be about 3.6 kg, which is about how much she weighed when we lived in Dubai.

Once she's down at this weight, we're hoping that the new house will help maintain this weight, since she'll be able to run around in the back garden, appreciating urban nature. 

Oi! I heard that!

 

I'm not obese, I just live a rich lifestyle! My Daddy says that I'm the prettiest kitty in the Schelpstraat! And also in the Anna Paulownastraat.

So... MEOW! 

Our tea-cosy

We took Boris and Boika to the vet last night for their yearly jabs. It turned out that Boika had gained approximately ten percent of her body weight, so the animal doctor strongly advised a diet, after calling her a sweet and round tea-cosy. Whilst paying, the assistant shouted through the whole waiting room that they did have some special diet food for obese cats, if we were interested.... Charming! :-)

Boris very content with news of forthcoming move

In response to Boika, her brother Boris mentioned he was very excited with the news of the move to Anna Paulownastraat. "There is a lot more space to chase Boika around", he was reported as saying. Furthermore, he said to be looking forward to the prospect of having a proper garden. Although, if he could please have a say, no more mirrors on the garden wall this time. It does NOT make the garden look bigger....

Boika disgruntled with news of move

Boika, arguaby the prettiest kitty in Den Haag, was clearly upset when she heard news of a move to Anna Paulownastraat. "I'm very happy where I am", Boika was quoted as saying early today. "There's plenty supply of biscuits and it's very warm here on top of the radiator".

Only time will tell, but Boika is not afraid of "taking this all the way to the kitty unions". "I've not even been invited to negotiation talks" complained Boika this evening.