Second Week

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.

Thursday 7th October 2010Saturday 9th October 2010Baggie

Before you think I’ve gone all ‘King and I‘ or going to burst into a medley of Rodgers and (stop) Hammerstein, I was merely trying to think of a catchy title to celebrate that we have, for over a week, been a family of four and are all having to make adjustments to accommodate the new arrival.

Éowyn has adjusted to sharing her parents remarkably well. It helps that I am on paternity leave and so there is always one of us that can lavish attention on her. In fact she is quite taken with her little sister and will often park herself on the sofa with a cushion on her lap with her arm out ready to hold Amélie. Which she will do for a short amount of time until she gets bored or Amélie starts crying.

However, there has been a slight change at night. It started yesterday. Lucinda went up to bed at about 2130 and Éowyn was crying. Lucinda went into her and she was upset and kept saying that she wanted to sleep in mommy and daddy’s bed. I heard the commotion and went upstairs and took over while Lucinda attended to Amélie. I gave Éowyn a cuddle and tried to explain that Amélie was a baby and that when she was bigger that she would be sharing Éowyn’s room. I read her a story and tucked her back into bed and all was good. She woke up this morning and all was right again.

Then tonight. Lucinda bathed her and I read her three stories before tucking her into bed. Her usual routine. (We have tried to keep things as routine as they can be to try and disturb her the least). However, when I cam to tuck her into bed, she began to cry. Again she wanted to sleep in mommy and daddy’s room with Amélie. So, another daddy cuddle and I explained that she was a big girl and that she would see mommy, daddy and Amélie in the morning when she woke up. She surrounded herself with her cuddly toys and went to sleep.

She must now be realising that Amélie is here to stay and can’t understand why she is allowed in mommy and daddy’s room. There is no point getting angry or shouting at her; just reassure and try to explain the situation to her, as best as we can, in a calm voice. We are both very aware, that however much we pity her and don’t like to see her upset there is no way we can ever give in, not even for one night.

During the week, our visitor numbers are low mainly because most of our friends and family are at work and the evening is not a good time to visit when you have young ones to bath and put to bed. Yesterday, however we were visited by a family of swans (actually they were scoping number 73 – see photos below) and more importantly our friends Lee and Caroline and their daughter Georgia. Georgia was born the day after Éowyn so it was interesting to see them react to each other (not play, they interacted but it wasn’t really playing together). There was a lot of possessiveness from both, not malicious but a toy is always more interesting when it is being played with by someone else. Both were very cute though and it was nice to see them give each other a kiss goodbye.

Today, I got the first taste of what it will be like for Lucinda every day when my paternity leave ends. Lucinda had a check up at the doctor’s at 0900, so I was left to get Éowyn, Amélie and myself washed, dressed and fed. I have had trouble with just the last one in the past! Actually I think I coped remarkably well, but it is definitely going to be a strain for Lucinda every day. You can’t rest for a moment. I think I will have the easier part of the relationship heading into work.

We also took advantage of the unseasonably clement weather (temperatures of 21°C) and went for a walk around the Salville Gardens side of Virginia Water. There is a little play area for kids, with swings and climbing frames and a sandpit. So plenty of fun and a good chance for us all to get some vitamin D. Then back home in time for tea and cakes.

I will bid you adieu (to yieu, and yieu and yieu – OK I’ll stop it!)

Peace and love

Baggie

Éowyn’s help

Kiss goodbye

Sleep tight

Destroyer of sandcastles

Mommy and her daughters

What can’t I do with it?

Cheese!

Right lads, no one’s at home!

I sometimes cry

Hiding from the paparazzi

Wish they would go

They’ve gone!

She is on record

Wednesday 29th October 2008Baggie

Today marked a big day in any baby’s life: her birth was offically registered. Éowyn is now part of the population of the United Kingdom, and as such can now obtain a passport (has to be done) and a bank account (definitely has to be done, considering the money that she has received!). Once she was registered we could enrol her at our doctor’s surgery and so she now belongs to a practice. Her other big adventure was a trip to Sainsbury’s to do the weekly shop. There is no stopping this girl. Actually she slept through the whole trip, she likes sitting in her car seat and journeying into the unknown. For some reason it relaxes her and she sleeps, well, like a baby!

This afternoon she was at home to receive guests. Her Uncle Steve, Auntie Zöe and for the first time her cousins Megan and Finley came for visit and a cuddle. Éowyn has now met all her cousins, and the only member of her ‘immediate’ family she has still to meet is her Great Grandma, my nan. Obviously, she has many Great Uncles and Aunts yet to met and her Great-Great Uncle and Auntie as well as the majority of our friends, but give her time, she is not yet a fortnight old.

Tomorrow, we have a visit from the midwife (hopefully), the health visitor and a couple of our friends to look forward to. It is also the last day that I will spend with her before I go back to work. That is going to be a huge shock for both Lucinda and me, however it will not be long before I am off again for another three week ‘break’, the joys of shift work and saving your holiday to the end of the year.

Here are a couple of today’s photos.

Love and peace

Baggie

Wot no midwife?

Tuesday 28th October 2008Baggie

Again I have left it a couple of days since updating the website, my spare time is dictated by Éowyn, as it should be and probably how it will be from now on. So, what has happened since Sunday’s update? We had our first bad night Sunday night; it wasn’t just that Éowyn would not settle, but she would not stop crying and there was very little that we could do to placate her for any length of time. In the cold light of day I think that she was suffering from colic, which was possibly brought on either by the Chinese takeaway that Lucinda ate on Saturday or overstimulation during Sunday with all the cuddles, or just the first wave that she could suffer from for the next few months. Apparently it is something that many babies suffer from and there is little that you can do, although some people swear by massaging your baby while changing their nappy. I will let you know how that goes.

Thus colic made it to the list of questions to ask the midwife when she came on Monday. Only she never came on Monday. We waited in all day afraid to go out in case we missed her, but by 16:00 we decided that we would call the Topaz suite at Ashford hospital. It transpires that although the midwife told us that she would visit on Monday, we were supposed to call on Monday morning so that they could tell us when they would arrive. Since, we didn’t call them, they assumed that we were out so they didn’t come. Serves me right for using man logic to think that because someone told me that they would come to the house on Monday that they would actually come to the house on Monday; it is my fault that they didn’t come because I didn’t call them for them to tell me when they would come. Ok, now I know the rules. Or do I?

So we rebooked the midwife to come the next day, since 16:00 was a little late for them to come the same day. We told the midwife that we would make ourselves available all day if she could tell us when they would come. That is not part of the game. Although we are booked in for a visit we would still have to phone at 09:00 to find out whether the midwife would come in the morning or the afternoon, it is impossible for them to tell us the day before. So, this morning I tried calling the midwife team, it took until 09:40 before I got through. The midwife on the other end of the phonecall made me feel like the worst kind of parent because we didn’t call the previous day. Then, in the very next breath, told me that they would not be able to fit me in until Thursday. I said that I thought that we had been booked in yesterday. Apparently we had but they still couldn’t fit us in. Then she told me off that the 10 day check up wouldn’t occur until Éowyn’s 14th day. She then hung up before I had a chance to reply.

Since we were now free for the day, we went for a walk around the lake in the north west of the village, followed by a hot chocolate at the cafe at the eastern side, where we were joined by one of our friends Kerry. All four of us then returned to the house where we were joined by our next door neighbour Vicky and her neighbour Gwen. It is really heart warming to feel part of a community and how a baby brings everyone together.

Tomorrow we have another adventure planned, a trip to Walton-Upon-Thames as we are booked in with the registrar to register Éowyn’s birth. We can then follow this with a visit to the doctors where we can register her with the surgery. Thursday, my last day before I go back to work we will stay in as we have visits from the midwife and the health visitor, as well as friends who will be popping in to meet the baguette. Had better buy some nice biscuits!

Enough of my ramblings, here are the latest photos.

Peace and love

Baggie and Lucinda