Finally!

I've lost track of how many times in the last few weeks I've started to type up a blog update only to get completely off track while talking about the current state of my computer.  See I got my new computer up and running, the internet was working and most programs were too, with others just needing reinstalling as I came across problems.  The big things for me was photoshop.  It's mostly stable now and I've found when it's not, as long as I don't click on the error message it will let me keep working long enough to save.  The big problem I had was my core 2 quad cpu only running on one.  So in device manager it thought it was a
standard cpu rather than an ACPI multiprocessor and in task manager it would only give me stats for one cpu.  So each time I started a blog update and got to thinking about where I was up to with the PC I decided I'd be better off putting the time into sorting things out and the blog could wait.  Now finally after many hours researching, reinstalling and patching, it's fixed!  Previously I've been going through the same steps only to end up with it blue screening and no better off.  Tonight I did the bios update first then reinstalled windows, something I really didn't want to have to do, but it worked.  It does mean I now have to recalibrate my monitor and I'm sure there's a dozen other little fixes I need to do but at least the cpu is sorted.  Turns out during windows install, at the point where it says to press F6 for raid setup (or something like that), you actually have to press F5 to chose the multiprocessor option.  It would be nice if it said that on screen in the first place.  I would never have known about it if it wasn't for the magic of google and some helpful forum posts.

So my computer should now be better and faster.  It's been working OK for the last few weeks but just not the way it should and I didn't want to put too much time into reinstalling the software because I was afraid I'd end up with the windows reinstall in the end.  Now I can go ahead and get all the software sorted and that should be it until my next hard drive dies etc.  Actually I usually lose 2 hard drives at a time so I have to get my backups organised soon.

It's been good to get back to creativity with my digiscrapping and photography.  While I didn't have a reliable computer there wasn't much point taking photos because I couldn't do anything with them.  It took ages to get photoshop working on this new pc, I actually had to contact Adobe support a few times!  Now it's perfectly stable for scrapping but crashes randomly for photo editing.  Weird but it's improving as I keep trying new solutions.  Strangely enough Adobe Lightroom has had no problems at all so if they can make one nice stable program why can't
they do it with their best known product!

So now it's time for a huge blog update.  I think I'm going to be playing catch up for a while :(  I still have over 300 unread emails to get back to.  In a way it was good not being online for a while because it meant I was sleeping when Alex let me instead of sitting in front of the computer.  Actually I'm still mostly doing that.  I need my afternoon nap when Alex has his.  I'm not really sleeping much though.  At night little J (no Graham hasn't agreed to a name, I'm just trying one
on for size) is kicking me like crazy. There is usually only one position he will let me lie in and it's too difficult to keep turning over to try different positions so once I get one where he stops kicking I spend all night in the same spot and end up quite sore and cramped.  I know it's only going to get worse as he gets bigger.  I get my best sleep in the morning when Graham gets up and gives Alex his breakfast, having the bed to myself really helps and no-one snoring in my ear
helps.  Alex is sick atm so I've actually spent the last few nights lying in bed listening out for him needing more medicine.  He has a chest infection and is really not well at all.  Things are improving though, he is eating again which is a huge relief.  He missed out on 'school' last week though and I'm really hoping he is well enough to go this Friday.  He enjoys day care so much we're on the waiting list for another day now.

I'm now nearly 25 weeks pregnant.  Little J and myself are both measuring where we should be.  I feel huge, am bigger than I ever was with Alex but the OB says it's all as it should be.  I got a shock Saturday, I went to buy new bras.  I was relieved to find my back/chest size hasn't changed but my cup size sure has.  I don't think I've ever seen a K size bra before!  I'm sure I used to own skirts with less fabric!  To think before Alex I was only a D cup, and afterwards an F cup.
Let's hope things don't keep growing in that department!  I'd like to see my feet again one day.

I saw the OB on Friday and as usual it's all good.  My BP is acceptable and on the ultrasound we could see J had the hiccups :) I go back again in 2 weeks, it's every 2 weeks from now on to keep an eye on things.  I'm still having my daily injections, monitoring my BP at home and rotating antibiotics every 3 weeks, and putting my feet up every chance I get :)

We haven't got anywhere yet with rearranging the house to make room for 2 kids but Dad did install our new side gate last week and Graham was out there on the weekend filling in holes along the fence.  I should take a photo of the gate.  It's really impressive, not just a gate it's so much more ummm structural than I imagined.  It's solid!

Graham and I have been doing our antenatal classes.  We have the last one this week.  It's interesting.  All the other parents are having their first child so we have a lot more experience than they do but when it comes to labour and birth we are all first timers really and they are all further along in their pregnancies than I have ever been.  They are all due in August so hopefully I'll be the last one to pop :)

Alex is being really cute about the baby.  He points out things now that are for the baby and he loves to listen to my belly.  I don't know what he hears but he things it's the baby.  He says he wants it to come out and play and likes to tell people about how Moms tummy is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger and pop, complete with actions like on playschool when they pop balloons :)

He came home from his Nan's last week and the first thing he did was walk up to a box where I'd been packing up some baby clothes and told me they were the babies new clothes :)  The second thing he did was ask to go to bed which was very cute but was a sign he's sick.

Ok that's enough waffling, I better add some photos and layouts now.  I think there will be an awful lot once I start.  Good thing I haven't been taking many photos 'cause otherwise there would be even more!

I'm not sure I have my monitor calibration sorted yet so if the colour/contrast in these is off please tell me.  The software that came with my monitor isn't supported by my new graphics card so there's no easy way to calibrate atm.  Once I order my next set of prints I'll have a better idea of how the colour is on screen.

First up here's my beautiful boy :)

 

and here's the guts of the new computer that has been giving me so much trouble.

Last month we had Graham's Nana and Aunt come to visit and in preparation we did a bit of winter cleaning and rearranging of the lounge and dining rooms.  I was so caught up in their visit I completely forgot to get the camera out and get photos of us all together but I did get photos of the house looking neat :)

Then we had my parents and Graham's Mom and her BF over for our first BBQ on the new deck.  It was a combined celebration for Mother's Day, several birthdays and a viewing of the 20 week scan DVD of the baby.  We had planned on announcing the sex of the baby during the DVD viewing but couldn't help ourselves and actually told both families the day before :)

Graham cooked the BBQ.  This BBQ, the apron, tools and book were all Christmas pressies, it took this long to get to use them.

I made icecream flower pots.  I thought they looked very Mothers Dayish but weren't very appropriate for winter.  Actually a BBQ wasn't very good for winter either.  Mom was freezing.

Mom made her famous chocolate birthday cake.  Yummm wish I had some of that now!

I got plenty of flowers in May too :)

Here's my boy all grown up and off to his first day at 'school'.

Would you believe not one tear!

He is looking so grown up these days!

Here's some layouts.  Most of these are for challenges at Scraphead and mostly using kits by ScrapShana for her creative team.  Shana is selling at 3 scrapping sites now plus her own store Digiscrapaganza

I've linked each pic to my gallery so you can find all the credits just by clicking (I hope, I'm using new software for blogging so who knows how it will work). There's plenty more layouts in my galleries too.

This is a hybrid album which was in the gallery at Scrap Orchard but seems to have vanished and my credits with it.  I used a template by QueenPamedalah, my ADSR #3 partner, and kit by Chris Greiser, both entrants in Scrap Orchards designer competition.  The competition is over now so I guess that's why my layout is missing.  I was really hoping Pamela would win :(

These layouts are designed to be printed and mounted in an acrylic album.  I've found a source for the right albums in Australia but have yet to buy one.  I'll get the layouts printed by my photo lab and then mount them.

This is how the front cover will look when closed with all the pages showing through.

 

and this is each of the pages open progressively with the others showing through.