Do I do anything but rant really?

7/10/2009·public·184 visits · notify me ?

Hahaha! Well my hubby may be right all I do is rant, so please ladies excuse yet another rant taking up space on the right of your page! I rant in this journal too much I konw, but well, Violet doesn’t listen she just gets me to pretend to drink from her tea set, bless!!!

Anyway, Martin and Violet are ill again. As if I don’t spend enough of my time paranoid about getting poorly, now I’m living in a housefull of it! They have colds this time, and while I keep having paranoid flashes that my throat os sore or my nose is running I am actually fine so far. Drinkings lots of OJ and water and telling myself that I simply cannot get this frigging cold!

I am so mightily p*ssed off about it! My bro and family popped in to see us on their way back from holiday, see we’d given them the hol as a wedding present. We’d originally booked it for ourselves back before I knew I was pregnant and had been told by the midwife we’d not be able to go. They’d been skint when we got married in March and so had decided to buy us a week at the same place this time next year as a belated wedding gift, and they wanted to surprise us with the details. Bless them how sweet is that!!! So it may seem awfully surprising and ungrateful to start this with I’m so p*ssed off BUT…..their little girl had been as they put it ‘husky’ most of the week and they thought perhaps she may be coming down with a cold. And lo and behold here we all are 5 days later V and DH sniffling, coughing and snotting everywhere and so are they!

Yeah colds happen, I know we can’t lock ourselves away for the next year. BUT Why don’t they understand, even after Ivy’s last infection and how I ranted about it, that what is ‘just a cold’ for most folk, is a nightmare for us as we’re all stressed, not sleeping or eating properly and means we can’t visit are much poorlier little chick?!? And that most importantly it could be utterly catastrophic if we accidentally did take it into the hospital!!!! Why don’t they get it? Why when I rant about people coming round when they’re poorly does everyone think I’m talking about everyone apart from them? It’s not like they tell me on the door either, no. they wait until they’ve been here for half an hour playing with Violet and all her toys, “oh we think ..x… has got a sore throat” I’m fucking sick of being told that they’re sorry. It’s really driving me bonkers! I really feel like I’m banging my head on a brick wall. Surely to F-ing god this isnt unreasonable of me to ask people to not bring their ill kids to my house?I mean this was why we stopped Violet being babysat, after the nits and the hideous tummy bug in a fortnight it just seemed more trouble than it was worth. I really don’t get why my family thought it would be better to still take V and look after her when they’re poorly and send her ill back to my house? I know they’re trying to help and I don’t want to be awfully ungrateful, I konw they are trying. But really in what exact way is that any help to me at all!? Why can’t anybody just offer to do my sodding hoovering that would’#ve been much more helpful!

And cos V is still ill I’ve had to pull out of her speech therapy tomorrow too, I don’t want her either passing it round everyone else, that doesn’t seem fair! And I don’t want her picking up something else while her immune system is low.

Just hope everyone else feels better soon and that I don’t catch it! I’m only able to visit Ivy for half an hour a day at the moment while M and V wait in the car, and then I’m tooscared to hold her just in case I’ve brought the vile bug in. It just fucking sucks. Stoopid people.

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

steps forward, steps back

15/09/2009·public·193 visits · notify me ?

So while we had been awway from the hospital Ivy had done really well with her feeding, gradually making it up to 5 and a half mils of milk an hour and cycling 2 hours on CPAP 4 hours breathing by herself. She was doing so well that when we saw her on Saturday she had had all of her lines out as she was fully milk fed!

Yesterday (Monday) Ivy was supposed to go for her Hida test to check her gall bladder function, seems Ivy had other ideas though.First thing in the morning her tummy gets all blown up again, so distended the skin was shiny like it was for about a week after she was born. This swelling pushes up onto her lungs too making it much harder for her to breathe, so when they come to pop her in the travel incubator for the big journey across the hospital she had a big desat & brady episode. So in the end they decided to leave her on the unit and reschedule for when she;s more stable. And while they were waiting for her to become more stable she had to return back into the intensive care unit for more careful monitoring. Back onto Nil-By-Mouth and drip feeding. Back off the King’s regime thingy. Back out of the clothes she’d only just made it into. And back beside the family that take up all the space. 😦

I managed to spend most of the afternoon with her today and was there when the doctors decided that she can gradually start having milk again which was much more positive, but nobody knows for sure why her belly keeps blowing up. Her x-rays and barium scan pics have been studied by the surgical team at Bristol Children’s hospital (it was them that decided she could eat again) and they’re happy there’s no obstruction and doesn’t need surgery, but it seems she still has quite a bit of meconium stuck up there, despite many stinky nappies now. They don’t know whether her jaundice is linked to the belly blowing up problem, that maybe if she starts having milk all the time and it all gets to function properly it could all resolve itself. But they have to firstly check that it isn’t any one of a number of other things, she’s on 3 lots of anitbiotics even though her blood tests have come back clean for infection. I guess I’m glad they’re being cautious to be on the safe side.

Just feel really bleh and numb about the whole thing, I’m trying to be jollier about it, now she’s more settled and stable again, but don’t seem able to properly pick myself back up. I dreamt she had died and no one was listening to me which was a bit harsh, can’t seem to quite shake that feeling now. Just really bloody tired.Anyway the lovely tesco man brings my shopping hurrah!

Hope you lovely ladies are having better days than me xxxx

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

Where did the time go?

12/09/2009·public·180 visits · notify me ?

Ivy is 4 whole weeks old today! Where have 4 weeks gone? But yet and at the same time, it seems eons ago I was pregnant….And for the first time since tuesday we’ll be able to go and visit!!! And we have babysitters already in place (well they’ve had a week off haven’t they?! ;p) for tonight, tomorrow and possibly monday too!

I also figured out, somewhat sadly, that I only discovered I was pregnant 6 months ago on monday, how can she be 4 weeks old already?! I’d have only been 34 weeks this wednesday coming. Oh well I haven’t made this far with either baby, so at least I don’t konw what I’m missing now!

As of yesterday, Ivy is fully milk fed, all 5mils an hour of it, bless her, stil hardly a drop at a time! So she’s finally had her long line taken out!!! One less drip, in fact possibly all drips gone, but lets not celebrate til I can see to check! 😀 She was a big brave soldier about it too, they give the tinies dextrose syrup for pain relief (not sure how it works, but I’ve seen how Violet reacted to it, sugar – good!) and she just stared at them through the whole procedure! She’s also survived her newborn hearing screen, premmie eye test which’ll be done again in 2 weeks and she’s been put on something called the ‘King’s regime’ for her jaundice, which is apparently a variety of vitamins and supplements added to her milk developed by King’s College, but for once google is failing me, I can’t find anything about it! And it’s tough to get all the relevant details over the phone, guess we’ll find out tonight! Hooray!

Happy sunny saturday all!!! xxx

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

Jojo stuck at home and sulking

10/09/2009·public·250 visits · notify me ?

Sulking muchly!

When Violet was ill at the beginning of the week we thought it was something she ate, especially cos it came on suddenly. Seems we were wrong, both me and hubby spent yesterday sleeping in shifts, to watch Violet, feeling like death warmed up; or totally overheated in my case. I have not felt that bad since recovering from alcohol posioning when I was 17, just grateful it passed quickly! All back to vague tired normality today thankfully! Nits last week, bugs this week, I’m beginning to think getting Violet babysat is more trouble than it’s worth.

So obviously we didn’t go to the hospital yesterday, and we can’t go now for at least another 48 hours til we know the bug has cleared from everybody; so at best saturday night, but more likely Sunday 😦 Poor little Ivy wont have any visitors til Sunday!!!

Ivy’s being kept busy though, she has her eye test today; apparently some very prem babies eyes don’t develop properly, the retinas don’t attach, so they’re checking hers in an hour. Yesterday she had another x-ray on her tummy, she’s still not pooing without suppositries (lovely!) so they had to check that there’s no blockages or swollen bits. The Barium that they put up to get the xray done seems to have solved the problem entirely, I’m glad I missed that nappy, especially in the state we were in! And on monday she’s having a hida scan, as she has prolonged conjugated jaundice. So they’re giving her phenobarbitol from yesterday, apparently this will make all the bilirubin stuff gather in her gall bladder, or maybe her liver, and then when they put the dye in and take all the pics on monday they’ll be able to see whether everything is draining through the gall bladder and liver as it should do. It wasn’t til I got home that I realised phenobarbitol is a sedative (duh) so she probably wont notice that we’re not there at least…..poor tiny one.

Oh and when I saw her last she was having 1 mil of milk an hour; today she’s up to 3 and a half mils an hour!

pixiejo · you!
Updated 11/09/2009

Aw thanks for all your hugs ladies! We’re all much better and have been yesterday so fingers and toes crossed we’ll get to go and visit tomorrow!

Ivy is doing superbly on her milk, when I rang in the evening for an update she’d gone up to 4.5mil an hour, if she continues to tolerate that then her long line will come out as she wont need the I.V. nutrition (TPN)!!! She’s managed to drop that to a mil an hour from 4.6 which is awesome! I believe she’s off the lipid already too. It’d be really lovely to see her without a line in each arm/leg, and the long line looks particularly uncomfy cos it goes in the top of her arm poor little chick!

She’s back to doing well with her breathing, we think she took exception to being moved as she had a couple of days of desats and braddies which are just hideous to see, and had to have a whole day on cpap. Back up to 2 hours on 4 hours off at the moment!

Hope yuo lovely ladies are all well xxx

Jo x

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

Moved up a nursery! One step closer…

6/09/2009·public·294 visits · notify me ?

Sooo super excited! Ivy has officially been promoted from Intensive care into High dependency hooray!!!

Double good cos the parents of the baby  next to Ivy in ICU were doing my head in! I#m sure they’re very, very nice people, and obviously having a NICU baby is very stressful, so they probably didn’t realise they were SO annoying! but I rarely come so close to punching folk I have to leave the room like I did yesterday! Waaah! We could only get down one side of Ivy’s incubator as she was next to the wall, and generally most parents stick to sitting with their visitors on one side of the incubator as their as so many other babies and you don’t like to invade other people;s privacy. Not the folks next door to Ivy, no. They would normally be down both sides of their babies cot so I’d have to peer at Ivy through the end of her incubator. Yesterday Violet was being babysat so I was there early and sitting up on a stool level with Ivy’s face, and when next door arrived they just barged in behind me, so they could be on both sides of their baby’s cot, nearly knocked me off my stool – despite there being nothing down the other side of their baby’s cot. I was so upset I went and cried in the loo (how sad am I?! should’ve just said something to the staff!) They didn’t even acknowledge that I was there, didn’t say sorry or anything! They didn’t even move when the nurse was discussing Ivy’s blood transfusion or other tests she’s currently having, I’m trying to believe they’re not ignorant, just really involved and worried about their baby, but really! So in the evening my fella made sure he was standing at the end of Ivy’s incubator cos he’s not little, and so they couldn’t get past and shove into me again. FFS the only day I got to spend time with Ivy on my own without having to worry about dashing home for Violet. Grrrr!

I was on the bus home writing a letter to the ward sister and everything and now I don’t need to bother for Ivy has moved!! Hooray!!!!

thanks for all your messages yesterday! I was going to reply there but needed to share the excitement, and it would seem a bit more rant than I had intended! The bleeding seems to have calmed down, apparently it’s just my body saying that I am doing too much when I should be home resting…Ivy is *still* on poo strike, but the blood transfusion top up has meant her oxygen sats are holding much better, so she’s back to having more time breathing by herself again. 🙂 The transfusions are such small amounts it’s insane, the first one they gave her was so small they actually took more blood from me to crossmatch and figure out what blood type she was, which seems like a real waste! I’m not allowed to donate to her at all though 😦 Anyway! Must go and express again, it really does seem to be never-ending!

Hope all you lovely ladies are well!!!! xxxxx

pixiejo · you!
Updated 8/09/2009

Hello ladies!

HOw you all doing? I have told Ivy you’re all thinking of her and she looked at me like I was daft; but she normally looks at me like I’m daft, so hard to tell what she thinks really 😉

Karen, I’m not really sure what happens long term, try not to think about it to be honest! While Ivy was born very tiny for her gestation, her brain was as developed as she should be for 29 weeks, which stands her in good stead. The unit also scans for brain bleeds, which potentially could cause problems, especially if they occur in the first 4 days, so far she is clear which is good too. Violet did have a grade 1 bleed when she was a couple of weeks old and it all just got absorbed and as far as you can tell with a 2 year old – she’s fine! I know Ivy will be monitored until she has caught up to where any other child her age is developmentally, as Violet is still under the care of the same consultant! Violet has to see him every 6 months as she’s still not talking as much as she should for her age, and she will until it’s sorted or diagnosed as being a problem.

No results back on the jaundice or CF yet, the CF had to be sent to Bristol for chromosome tests. We got asked all kinds of questions like whether me and DH were related and stuff! It’s really an education this NNU!

THank you for your thoughts I appreciate it, and I appreciate yuo all taking the time to read and comment! You’re all fabulous!

Jo x

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

so I’ve finally been discharged, Ivy is 3 weeks old!

5/09/2009·public·352 visits · notify me ?

For the difference it makes to be discharged, I’m in hospital every day anyway, just now I only have to visit one ward rather than 2!

I think I may have overdone it though, as Violet has been off with various babysitters she’s caught nits, just what we need right now! So I spent yesterday nit-combing a 2 year old, I’m sure you can all imagine how much fun that was. But because she was off staying at my bro’s last night I didn’t want to send her with the dreaded bugs just in case she hadn’t caught it from them, so I had to stomp all the way into town to buy the treatment stuff, which was probably silly seeing as I’m not meant to be pushing her anywhere right now, and then had to lift her in and out of the bath. But it had to be done. Only now I’m bleeding again, which I’m fairly sure I’m not meant to….and cos I’ve finally been discharged I don’t have any of the relevant phone numbers to see if it’s something to worry about….but at least I’m going back to the hospital this afternoon anyway. Sure it’s fine. Right?

Ivy is still pootl;ing along nicely, slow and steady. They have started weighing her, she did lose weight down to 1lb 6 so they started giving her fat (lipid) in her drip and she’s back up to 1lb7. And shes’ started to have some milk, just half a mil every 3 hours, and it’s still blowing her up like a balloon! She seems to have gone on poo strike again so they’re testing her for cystic fibrosis in case that’s whats causing it; but at least the lack of poo has meant they can get all the wee samples they need to find out whats causing her grey jaundice. She’s much more active and awake now which is lovely, her little mouth seems to constantly be on the search for food, and she’s having great fun removing her tubes and pulling off her CPAP. So while they say that she’s having 3 hours off breathing by herself every 6 hours, she’s actually having more cos she keeps pulling all the pipes off! When we arrived the other night she was chewing on them!

Anyway the phone is ringing again. It rings every 20minutes all morning, for the first week I panicked every time as I thought it was the hospital and would run for it. But it would seem that most of the family want daily bloody updates, despite my assurances that we woudl call if there was any news and that I am really busy expressing and dealing with Violet and being bloody knackered. So I’m call screening. Oh for a ringer off switch. I should at least 1471 tho….Hope everyone is well!!! xxxxx

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

How are Jo and Baby ivy??

Updated 31/08/2009

Hey ladies!! aw bless you ((((hugs)))) I’m really touched you’re thinking of me and Ivy!

Ivy is doing really well, she has 2 to 2 and a half hours off her CPAP every 6 hours. Feeding has been a bit stop and go, she seems to be having a bit of trouble digesting the milk, and keeps filling herself up with wind; so they stop the milk x-ray her belly, find nothing and start again. She better start getting hungry, I’ve managed to fill an entire drawer of the NNU milk freezer with expressed milk, and have no space at home as we’re living off cheap and easy freezer stuff! We have had her out to have cuddles 3 times now, hooray! and they normally save a nappy change for us too, it’s a bit Krypton Factor trying to change a tiny baby who seems to be entirely made of knees through 2 tiny portholes beside her, but at least she doesn’t kick me in the belly and try to escape like her big sister!

I am massively grumpy and really tired and super paranoid about getting colds to the point where I keep convincing myself I have one and can’t go and visit Ivy at the hospital. I *think* I’m virus free though….I panic every time the phone rings, thinking it’s the hospital and we’re getting a lot of phone calls at the moment. But otherwise well!! Anyway I have to express, again, and then we’re back off to the hospital!!

I hope all you lovely ladies are all cooking well, so sorry I’m not getting to read the board really at all just now 😦 lots of love and hugs to you all!!! xxxx

Jo x

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

thanks guys!!!!

26/08/2009·public·212 visits · notify me ?

Thanks again for all your messages you lovely ladies you!!I It’s really nice to come on here and share all this with you! cos while everyone in real life is interested, I’m spending as much time trying to sort out babysitting for Violet, which is really making my head hurt! I don’t have enough brain for all this organising-ness! I’m trying to keep up with how you’re all cooking, hopefully things will settle in something more of a rhythm now and I’ll be able to actually read more than a page of the board a day!

Ivy is still doing fabulously, whenever they change her nappy now she has a bit of time off CPAP altogether breathing all by herself, so when we visited last night we got to see her little face for the first time! Hooray! 😀 And I got to change a nappy which was very exciting, I had forgotten how sticky and grim meconium was, it was so nice of her to leave me a present…..Quite a change from changing a 2 year old! And changing a baby in an incubator is like something off the Krypton Factor or Crystal Maze maybe, I’m glad I had so much practice last time with Violet!

And she’s much more awake now she’s off morphine and on caffeine, I suppose that goes without saying really huh? I got a good staring at today, bless her! Her eyes have no colour yet, another thing I’d forgotten about. She is still really rather grumpy, she has the smallest, cutest most pathetic cry I have ever heard. Cuter than kittens. If she has a good day today hopefully we’ll have our first cuddles tonight!!! Super excited! And terrified I’m going to drop her or squash her or something….AND she’s having her first drops of milk today too, just half a mil every 6 hours, barely a droplet really! She seems really hungry though, chewing away the tube down to her stomach (to stop her getting too full of wind with the CPAP) and I swear she’d eat the damp cotton buds we clean her mouth with if she had the strength to get it out of my hand!

Can’t believe we;re here to be honest. This time a fortnight ago I had no idea this was all coming, and then she was so poorly I didn’t even want to contemplate that we may be lucky enough to get here, never mind this quickly! 😀

I’m currently putting off sorting out my wardrobe and stuff, for I am happy, why break the good mood? I have to get rid of all the maternity clothes and other bits and bobs I’d got 😦 I’ve been advised not to have anymore babies so there isnt any point in keeping it for another time. In a way I’m quite sad to find that I fit back into my favourite jeans already (no other trousers tho!), stress is my wardrobe’s friend. Meh, ho hum. I have my 2 beautiful princesses and will have to talk my siblings into providing them with cousins from now on 😀

Anyway I have to go express again. I feel like a cow!

pixiejo · you!
Updated 26/08/2009

HIya hon! It does seem a while away, we;ve been told not to expect Ivy home until around her due date either, certainly Violet only came home 4 days before her due date just hoping it wont be later than that!

And as my hubby said, it’s Septmeber on tuesday (wah where did August go??), and it’s a short month (so he says) and in October there’s Halloween and things to keep us busy, so hopefully it’ll go by quickly! 🙂

Jo x

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

Jo fail!

22/08/2009·public·262 visits · notify me ?

I am failing again, obviously preggy brain hasn’t quite worn off yet…..I am being a total spacker today!I am having my postnatal checks on the postnatal ward in the hostpial rather than hanging about at home waiting for the midwife, when I’m going to be up there anyway! So today they wanted a wee sample as I suspect I have an infection and for the first time I wasn’t able to pee on demand. Bit of a shock after being pregnant for all those months! So I gave it a minute or 2, ran the tap and managed to go….only to catch the silly small bloody bottle on the edge of the loo and tip it all down the pan! Fail! Doh!

So I get given a bottle to bring home, take it in on my visit tonight, only to have forgotten my notes so they couldn’t even accept the sample on the ward. Double Doh! Spacktacular!

Ivy was good today mainly; they’re lowering her dose of morphine starting to wean her off it so that they can take her off her ventilator! And I know I should be delighted that she’s coming off the beast, but actually it’s terrifying!!! While I know very well there’s lots of monitors and a really good staff ratio, and I know the staff really well from Violet….but still scary!!!! And then I konw she’ll only be going onto CPAP not breathing on her own totally for a little while yet. She’s doing so well I’m really proud!

Really didn’t think she’d make it to a week this time last week, amazing stuff! Apparently she’d have been abe to come off her ventialtor a couple of days ago, but she’s carrying so much water that they think the pressure of it all in her belly would force her diaphragm up and make breathing really difficult for her! She’s having another platelet transfusion tonight, she still has problems clotting but she seems to mainly be doing fine.

Anyway I was going to type much more, just want to get it all outta me brain so I can get some sleep, but the in-laws and my hubby are really into football and Match of the Day is on and they’re getting really loud, enthusiastic and grumpy with each other. I’ve had to threaten to bang all their heads togther once already. Just never fail to be amazed at how deluded people can be about the team that they like! All rational thougt and arguement goes out the window huh??

Hope I have a better night than last night anyway. Bless my poor hubby! Violet woke up at some hideous time and I didn’t really wake up properly at all and ended up going to find my hubby to ask where Ivy was cos I was all worried that I couldn’t find her. He said that was fairly horrible. Must try and get some more sleep somewhere in the day. Not enough hours.

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html

1st night down

21/08/2009·public·399 visits · notify me ?

Survived my first night in the house, and I only phoned the hospital twice through the night, which I though was very restrained..in fairness I was going to phone again but then I realised they were doing their handover and I’ll be back up there in just over an hour too.At least I can be busy at home, doing things on here and playing with Violet and stuff.

I am knackered though, Somehow getting up in the night from my own bed to do all the expressing was harder work than it was in hospital, and then having to tip toe past my sleeping in-laws to get to the steriliser! Found it really hard to get comfy in bed, we’ve got a foam mattress and found it killed my hips after a couple of hours, I just don’t have the tummy muscles to be able to roll over, especially not in my sleep!

The mission for today is to find a new car, our pug has been gradually giving up over the last couple of weeks, the water pump had broken completely the day before I got taken into hospital so it sounded like a hairdryer. We took it to the garage to get it bodged enough to do all the hostpial runs only to find that it was goint to cost £450! To get to the water pump they also have to replace the cam belt which is expensive and takles a load of work 😦 And then we know that there is also an oil leak, a bad leak in the roof, and probablky oodles of other things wrong with the old girl too. So we say goodbye to PollyPug today and I am sad. While I drive as little as possible for it terrifies me, she was my first car and I loved her very much! 😦

We’re also eagerly awaiting a reply from our landlady, after totally ignoring us for three whole years; after ignoring our requests to get things fixed; she chose monday to hand deliver a letter saying that our rent was going up in October and having a bit of a go about the state of the grass down the side of the house. In fairness it was knee high and mainly made up of meadow flowers and grasses rather than just lawn. But still. She lives down the road, has she not noticed the rainfall oer the last month or so? Every time we’ve had the time to mow it, it’s been peeing it down! Still, the in-laws have harvested the meadow and it again appears like a normal lawn. Now I know she is entitled to put the rent up, of course, she’s not put it up at all until now! But she knew I was pregnant and due in October and I can’t help buit think that she’s chosen that point to raise it by £50 cos she knows the last thing we’ll want to do with a new baby or heavily pregnant is be moving house. So we’ll be trapped here with little option but to pay her more money…. She obviously does not know how stubborn we are! Both me and my hubby would much rather make our own lives hideously difficult to prove a point like that. So on top of everything else that’s going on at the moment, on top of Martin’s redundancy and now new job last month now we’re going to be moving house too.

Christmas seems like an awful long way away right now! But at least we’ll not be bored.Sorry for the immense epic journal, I can’t talk to anyone with my in laws here I can’t just cal;l a mate and have a good gossip, so I will godssip here haha!

Anyway off to see my Ivy, see how she’s doing today, dinky little cherub that she is 🙂

originally posted on babycentre community board; x-posted to www.handprints.org.uk/pixiejos-previous-blogs.html