It is coming......

Hi To Who Reads this.... we have photos and video of James' birthday, and I promise to upload them soon, but right now we are so exhausted from yesterday that I can not actually describe it. I know that I need to complete my list as well, all in good time.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Video: James 'Eating'

Here is a video of what happens when we let James feed himself. The video is 3 minutes long and I do apologise for the sound of my voice (and the Top Gear background). You can expect lots more videos in the future, as the charger for my video camera arrived from South Africa this week, so my son has now become a movie star!

Number 21 - 15

#21 - I love his eyes

#20 - I love when we blow raspberries on his tummy, and he squeals with laughter

#19 - Gareth loves how James' face lights up when he gets home from work

#18 - I love how he wants to copy everything that I do, even if it can be enduring.

#17 - I love the way he smacks his lips together when he eats something that he especially likes

#16 - I remember how nervous I was the first time I gave James his first bath at home, how scared I was.........

#15 - I love how I can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to him, and he will go to sleep.....

Number 23 & 22

23 - I love how much James loves books. He is always on the go, but give him a book to read and he will sit there for 20 minutes just paging through the book.

22 - I remember the first time we discovered James' first tooth. It was the 16th August and James had refused to sleep in his cot the night before. We had been shopping in Bournemouth Town Center the whole day and had bought the first security gate to go over the kitchen entrance. We were sitting on the bus to go home, and Gareth felt inside James' mouth and said that he thought he felt something, so I felt and there was this little sharp bit that had not been there the day before, I was so excited that I announced the whole bus (which was not very full), "My baby has his first tooth", I must have said it about 10 times. I remember this old lady, about 3 rows back, giving me the smile. You know the smile, the remember this moment smile.......

Number 25 & 24

25 - I love the way James' sleeps with his bum up in the air.

24 - I will never forget the first time that James smiled. He was exactly one month old, and James and I were sitting on the bed, I was talking to him holding him up to my face, so we were face to face. And suddenly there was this big gummy grin.... it was totally differant to the 'gas smiles'.

Number 26

I love James' cheeky grin. The grin he gives me when he is about to do something naughty and knows it, or the grin he gives me when I say No..... he knows how to wrap Mommy around his little finger already.

Number 27

I love how proud James is when he climbs the stairs and then stands there calling us.

Number 28

I love the way he stops whatever he is doing to eat his grapes! James loves grapes!

Number 29.....

I love the way he claps his hands when we sing 'If you happy and you know it', and how he now makes his Tiger or Mini Mouse clap their hands too.

Let the countdown begin....

James is 11 months old today, which means that there are only 30 days left until he turns 1. So, I am going to try and do the countdown each day by mentioning one thing that I love about him, or a special memory from his first year.

Number 30: The way he throws things on the floor and then lifts his hand out open to show me that its all gone.

Good vs Bad News

Good News - The insurance company confirmed that I have the job and the salary is decentish.
Bad News - They only want me to start in January 2009 instead of December 2008, so now we will be broke and Christmas won't be as festive as it could have been. Gareth has reassured me that we can still afford to buy James a birthday and a Christmas present though.... but also mentioned that I can't spend the month buying chocolate.... I agreed, I am even willing to give up food if it means that James can get a present, he told me that we don't have to go that far.... we can afford food....lol.

We are still alive

I have not been posting lately because I have started to worry about internet security, I know its a bit late, but rather late than never right? I am still going to post, but I think that I need to be a bit more careful about what I post.
So what have we been up to?
Gareth - well his books have finally arrived and he is studying every night, thus leaving me at a loose end. He writes his first 2 exams in December. He is studying for his ACCA, oh, how I look forward to been a Chartered Accountants wife (and then being allowed to have another baby). He has to study in the lounge because James is sleeping in our bedroom, and my SIL is in the other room. So we switch the TV off and I try not to make too much noise whilst sitting in the same room as him.
Me - Well, because of his studying, I am reading a lot and bathing a lot. I have also started my application essay for my studies towards being a Breastfeeding Counsellor. I never thought that I would have a lot to say in the essay, but I am only on the second question out of 8 and I already have 3 typed pages.... not sure how long it is going to end up being. I am also suppose to be going back to work in December at the old Insurance Company that I used to temp at. But, I am still waiting for them to confirm this..... hopefully I will know more soon, watch this space.
James - he is still crawling at unbelievably fast speeds, climbs up on everything, climbs over and under everything. He is constantly covered in bumps and bruises thanks to his adventurous and inquisitive personality. He now has 6 teeth, and loves to use them to bite me or daddy. I don't think that he is going to be walking anytime soon, as he is so proficient at crawling, there is no need. He can climb 15 stairs in under 2 minutes and can now climb off the bed or sofa, and not the express way. He sleeps through the night and his appetite has increased a lot. He can now eat an entire Cow and Gate Tray meal and a yoghurt for dinner. He is starting nursery in December and I think that he is ready for it. It is a lovely nursery, very homely and ticks all the boxes. We had our follow up paeditrician appointment today, and she is happy with his weight. He has not picked up a lot of weight, but seems to be following the second centile. She also says that sleeping through the night is an indication that he is getting enough food/nutrients. She was not happy about his foreskin and has referred him to a surgeon. His foreskin is still too tight even after using that steriod cream for 8 weeks, and thinks that James needs to be circumcised. In September I had wanted James to be circumcised, but the more I have thought about it, the less I like the idea. I really don't want my baby to go under anaesthetic, but if it is going to be better for him in the long run, well then. Maybe he is in the 1% of babies that the NHS will circumcise for medical reasons.

And thats an update on us. Gareth is asking for the computer and I have a meeting in the morning, so night night.........

If you happy and you know it.....

And then there were 3....

So apparently our family is going through a bad run, and no I never started this blog to moan about sickness, but..........
Gareth came home on Wednesday sick and never went to work on Thursday and Friday because he had a nasty cold, and this morning James and I have woken up sick as well, so now all three of us are sick with a cold. James has had a fever again, but luckily we managed to break it. But we are not the only ones that are sick. Nathan, my friend Myra's little boy, has tonsillitis and we had a play date with him yesterday, and my friend Allison and her husband have the stomach flu and had to cancel their sons' first birthday party tomorrow.
So now I am going to take my sleeping son, tired husband and my sore, sinusy head off to bed, and just hope that you don't catch anything from reading this page......aaaaatishue...........

I've got sunshine.....

Today was a beautiful day so we went to the beach. James had an absolute ball and loved every minute of it. He has also become a tea boy. He loves rooibos tea, and drinks about a 9oz bottle of it a day. And the good thing is that the rooibos tea is good for him too. Yay! Here are some of the photos my Sister in Law took with her mobile phone.

Drinking my bottle of Tea!!!

Football player in the making.....

The sand tastes yummy....

Daddy and James sharing a moment

39 weeks and 4 days

Thats how long I was pregnant for and thats how long I have been a parent for. 39 weeks and 4 days ago I was in labour now, and James was born at 11:55pm. The last 39 weeks and 4 days of my life have been terrifying, exhausting and rewarding. I would not change them for the world. I am trying to work out which felt longer, my long pregnancy that had me visiting the hospital for constant issues, and not knowing if it is a boy or girl or not knowing when I was going to go pop. Not knowing what the baby is going to look like or if it is going to be healthy. Not knowing how I was going to deal with sleepless nights and breastfeeding or teething or weaning or bathing or or or..... But then maybe his life has felt longer, learning to deal with long nights, and breastfeeding, seeing his teeth break the skin, watching him eat his first meal, experience him only accepting finger foods and enjoying him enjoying his nightly baths. He has generally been healthy, we have had our ups and downs, but I can't really complain. He has had prolonged jaundice, 3 colds, balantitis, an UTI and on Friday gastroenteritis. We have had only one hospital trip, thankfully. He has learnt so much, From being a newborn that just lay there, to smiling, to laughing, to rolling over, to putting his feet in his mouth, to sitting, to crawling, to pulling himself up and walking around the furniture. He has grown in leaps and bounds. He now likes to act up for us and make us laugh. He likes to copy us. He loves grapes, but is not so keen on parsnips. He is such a character now..... he is James now and not just baby. Oh, and while today is the day that he is 39 weeks and 4 days I started a new chapter in my life, I got a phone call to go for an interview for a job on Wednesday.... A first interview in years........

The Good, The Bad, but not the Ugly......

I always like getting the bad news first, so here it goes:
James went back to the doctor on Wednesday to have his urine checked that he did not have an infection anymore, and the good news is that it was gone, but he has send it off to be tested anyway. But!, James has been referred to the paediatrician and for an ultrasound. The doctor wants to check what is causing his UTI and if there has been any damage to his kidneys. He wants to check that its not been caused by a reflux in the tubes by the bladder and sending the urine back up to the kidneys. If this is the case, depending on how bad it is, James will either be kept on a mild dose of antibiotics until around 3 years old or they will do an operation to fix the valve causing the problem, but we are not stressing about that until we know more. He is also been referred because on Monday when we had him weighed they have decided that he is not gaining enough weight (only 2 ounces in 4 weeks), he has dropped from the 50th centile, at birth, to the 2nd centile, now. I know that those charts are for formula fed babies, but we just want to make sure that there is not an underlying reason for it. The GP thinks that it could be related to the UTI. So now we just wait until we get our letters from the hospital for the scan and the paed.
So, now the good news:
Well, first, instead of having to catch 2 buses to go to the South African Food Shop now, I found one opening today in a little shopping center that is about a 6 minute walk away from me.
Second, Gareth got his increase from his promotion yesterday and it was slightly higher than we were expecting.
And third, well, we have been wanting to change James over to reusable nappies for a while now, but to cough up all that money was painful so I have really been doing my research into it. Well, last week I was chatting to my health visitor and I asked her if there was one she would recommend, etc. When she told me that she had some at home in the loft that don't fit her son, and if I want then she will bring them to me to use. So, today she brought the nappies and they are Tot Bots Nappies (http://www.totsbots.com/nappies/range/original-tots/), all almost brand new. There are 10 nappies, with 8 differant wraps. 3 Motherease wraps, 2 Kushies wraps, 1 Greenbaby, 1 Boots, 1 Cotton Bottoms one. The last one is too small, but I can't believe how lucky we are. She said that we should give it a try and if they fit then great, she is glad someone is getting use out of them, if they don't then I should pass them on to someone else. If they fit, then we are going to offer to pay her for it, at the worst we will give her a box of chocolates, she has just saved us more than 100 pounds in just set up costs, and these nappies should fit James until he is about 3, and can be used for our next child, as they can be folded to fit from 8lbs. We also got given home safety things for free at the Childrens Center, so now James should not be able to bang his fingers in the door or put Gareth's tooth brush down the toilet.....lol.
Ok, I am going to go and price reusable fleece liners now for the nappies.......

I don't like NHS Direct!

It is now 12:39am and I know that I still have a long night ahead of me. James has a temperature of 39.4 C, and it just keeps climbing. Tepid water clothes and paracetamol just don't seem to bring his fever down. He has been in his nappy and vest since 2pm this afternoon when I first discovered that he had a temperature of 37.5 C. I am too scared to go and sleep in case James starts having convulsions, he has never had a temp this high before. I am busy freaking out, but trying not to show it, I am just happy when he is awake. He woke up this morning constipated and has been trying to poo all day, evenually at about 4pm he managed, but it was all runny and mucousy. He also has a slight cold that is making his breathing horrible, he sounds very asthmatic. At about 8:30pm I phoned NHS direct because his temp had risen to 38.2 C and I was worried, he has also been very drowsy all day, and goes flopsy every now and then. Well they made me feel like a complete idiot, a silly first time mom and told me that it sounded like he was teething, but would get the local emergency doctor to phone me. I know what my child is like when he is teething, we have lived through 2 teeth already!!! There is something wrong! The doctor then phoned me and said that his temp was not too bad and by the sounds of things he might be getting an upper resporary tract infection because he is blocked up as well. I don't know. I think he is constipated because we are trying to get him to take a formula bottle a day for when he goes to nursery in November, so since Tuesday we have been trying a differant brand every day. SMA white seems to be the winner. We never tried any formula today, in fact he has gone off his solids, not even interested in his Ella's Kitchen, so I am just giving him drinks of water and sips of pure apple juice. He is also breastfeeding when ever he wants.

I have sent Gareth to bed, as one of us has to be awake in the morning and we have set up a bed in the lounge for James and I, so I can watch TV and play on the laptop. The only problem with watching TV this time of the day? Its all about SEX!!!!

Antibiotics

Yesterday the doctor phoned to say that the urine sample that they tested last week showed that James has a bladder infection. So, he is on another bout of antibiotics and then he has another doctors appointment next week for more tests. If it shows that the infection has not cleared up with this second antibiotic then he is going to refer us to a specialist to see that there is no damage to his kidneys. He might also be referring James to be circumsized, as there could be problems with is foreskin, but only time will tell. I don't mind if they refer him to be circumsized as that is what we orignally wanted, but if they do then we want them to do it now while I am still breastfeeding, as I can just breastfeed his pain away.

Look Ma, no hands!

Look, I can stand.....

You weren't looking properly?

Tag

I was tagged by Holly, so here are my answers.
1. My uncle once: played imaginery balloons weith me.
2. Never in my life: will I touch a snake.
3. When I was five: I got bubblegum stuck in my hair, and my dad took it out with peanut butter
4. High school was: fun.
5. I will never forget: the first time I saw James
6. Once I met: Chris 'O Donnel
7. There’s this girl I know: who only found out she was pregnant at 23 weeks.
8. Once, at a bar: I won a competition for dancing sexy........
9. By noon, I’m usually: trying to convince myself to get dressed
10. Last night: I cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom.... its shiny!
11. If only I had: the ability to teleport myself.
12. Next time I go to church: I will hopefully like it.
13. What worries me most: is my family.
14. When I turn my head left I see: a high chair.
15. When I turn my head right I see: James sleeping on a pillow.
16. You know I’m lying when: I can't ly.....
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: being a kid
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: rather confused.
19. By this time next year: I will hopefully be finishing studying to be a Breastfeeding Counsellor
20. A better name for me would be: untidy.
21. I have a hard time understanding: the South African government
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: concentrate more.
23. You know I like you if: I tell Gareth about you without moaning.
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: Gareth and my family
25. Take my advice, never: mix chocolate liquor and peppermint schnapps together
26. My ideal breakfast is: Spanish Omelette
27. A song I love but do not have is: We will all stand together by Paul McCartney
28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: taken your camera with, it beautiful.
29. Why won’t people: stop judging each other
30. If you spend a night at my house: I would cook you a dinner to remember
31. I’d stop my wedding for: Hugh Grant.
32. The world could do without: Robert Mugabe.
33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat it.
34. My favorite blonde(s) is/are: Roxi, Bicara and Jody
35. Paper clips are more useful than: most men.
36. If I do anything well it’s: cook.
37. And by the way: I tag Jelena, Sarah and Lorry

The Kitchen Gate and Toast

On Saturday we went through to the town center to go and buy a gate for the kitchen because James keeps thinking that the kitchen is a play area and keeps crawling there. We also went to H&M and I think that my heart stopped there. Gareth and James had left to go down the elevator while I waited for Gaelyn and then was going to meet them downstairs. But a minute or two after they left the fire alarm went off, and by the look on the staff's faces you could tell that it was not a drill. I rushed towards where the elevator was, but they weren't there, so I went downstairs, and the elevator came down, but they weren't there and they weren't outside the store. Gareth and my baby were missing. I ran across to M&S, as we were meant to go there next, but they weren't there either. By this point I was panicking. Then I spotted them outside H&M, and I ran up to them and burst out crying. As it turnsout Gareth had turned around to looked for me before the alarm went off. And the reason the alarm went off was that a customer had accidently pushed a rack and that had pushed the fire alarm. Oh well, now they have to go everywhere with me in the shops.... at least until I am over this incident. On the bus trip home Gareth felt James' gum and dum, dum, dum.... we have a tooth. I know that we thought that there was a tooth at 2 months old, but that just became a stump, it never grew. This is his first proper tooth, on the front bottom gum. So, yesterday as a snack I made him toast with cheese spread that he loved.

Standing at the gate at the kitchen

Eating our toast

Oh, and today is day 21. It does not look like we are getting the Chicken Pox this time round.

Nesties, can you access the boards yet?

I still can't? Not sure what to do about it. If you can, please pass on some advice.
Thank you.

Dear My Fellow Nesties

I am really trying to get onto the board, but the stupid Nest keeps kicking me to the home page and won't let me do anything else, but stare at the homepage. Are any of you experiencing this horrible error? I have a new post that I am curious about.

Abby, if you do read this, its about reuseable nappies. We are looking at using them from now on seen as James' is now finally 16lbs and won't need to change sizes as often, but we are looking for recommendations, are there any to avoid, and what are the hidden costs? Also, liners, do you use reuseable ones? or disposable? Can all the nappies use reuseable liners? Where do you get them from, etc?

AHHHHHHHH!!!!! The Nest and its new format!!!!!!

Balanitis

James does not have an UTI, he has Balanitis. That means that the tip of the penis is swollen. Balanitis can appear in uncircumcised boys as a germ can get under the foreskin and cause the swelling. Treatment is to complete the course of antibiotics and more regular nappy changes. Its not that we weren't doing regular changes before, just at the moment it needs to be done hourly. I have to take a urine sample back next Thursday to be tested and to see the Doctor again, just to double check that there is no further infection in the bladder or kidneys.

Oh, and the spots have disappeared.... but we are still in the incubation period.

Was today the longest day ever?

Or was that just me? By 10:30am this morning I had been for blood tests for me, been to the doctor twice for James, being peed on at least 5 times, screamed more times than that and done my days shopping. I then had to go back to the doctors office for a third time to pick up a script.

James hardly slept last night, he kept waking up screaming all the time, 7am this morning we worked out that every time he would wee he would scream. His winky was also a bit swollen and a purple pink colour. I could only get a doctors appointment at 4:20pm, but I was having groceries delivered between 3pm and 5pm, and I needed the groceries. I went to the doctors office to try and beg for an earlier appointment, but the one doc was off sick, so they were short staffed. The receptionist gave me a pot to get a wee sample and bring it back for the nurse to test. So, I went home and after many tries I finally got a wee sample and took it back to get it tested. Then I had bloods done at a different venue (nothing serious), and decided to go and get everything I need for supper that was not on order. At about 11:45am the receptionist phoned to say that they had found he has an infection and I need to collect a script for antibiotics. I also have a 9am appointment for James tomorrow morning. They also found that he was dehydrated. I went back to the High Street and got the medicine, I also bought James a new cup (his third cup) to try and encourage him to drink more. At home I had a cup with water, a cup with diluted juice and a bottle with rooibos tea and juice mixed together (something I swore I would never do).

James is still screaming, even though I am giving him paracetamol often, his winky is still swollen and pinky purple, but I am giving him the antibiotics. He is drinking lots of fluids and even though he refuses to eat much we keep trying to feed him yoghurt. We also got him his favourite dinner - Ella's Kitchen - Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Blueberries and Apples, and thankfully he ate that.

He also still has spots on his tummy and back, even has some on his legs now, but they not chicken pox yet, but are getting bigger than the rash spots that he had..... but only time will tell.

Just what the doctor ordered......

Today has been a nice lazy day, I have done Nothing, in fact I am still in my PJ's. I never had to cook, Gareth went out and got us the Reggae Reggae Subs, well I had a wrap, from Subway for lunch and that was very yummy, then Gaelyn made us cannelloni with spinach and ricotta for supper also very yummy. She also cleaned the kitchen and Gareth did most of James' nappy changes and fed him his breakfast, lunch and dinner, so all I have done all day is watch DVD's and TV. Unfortunately though, James has been very moody and has a rash on his belly and back, we think its the start of the Chicken Pox showing, but watch this space, we should know more tomorrow.........

How we have spent our morning....

Good Old Fashioned Fun.....

Will he eat today?

Oh I hope that James decides to eat today. Yesterday he refused point blank to eat anything for breakfast, only had some of a fruit pot for lunch and then ate spaghetti and a yoghurt for supper, only to later throw up twice. He was also very clingy yesterday, but only to me, not to Gareth and me. I could see that Gareth got upset that James never wanted him and cried when I was not with him, but I think that he was not feeling well. I wonder if this is the Chicken Pox rearing its little head?

Naughty? Who Me?

Photo from the Newspaper

Here is the photo that was in the Echo Newspaper for the protest. I have the article cut out at home for James' baby book.

No one wants to play

On Tuesday James and I saw Tara and Bebe, and while we were sitting at the coffee shop Bebe (she is 11 months old) started coming out with spots, looked like flea bites. During this time Bebe drank from James cup and then James drank too. She also played with his toys and being a baby she put them in her mouth. It turns out those spots were the Chicken Pox, so there is a good chance that James will develop them too. But now, before we see any of his friends I am prewarning mom that he could be carrying the Chicken Pox bug and tell them why.... the result? Everyone has cancelled our playdates.... oh well, we will just have fun playdates just the 3 of us at home.....

Now the Trouble starts....

So, today like every other day, while I make up our bed I put James into his cot to play with his teddies, but today was different. Normally if I take too long he starts to scream and lately he has taken to head butting the end of the cot as he tries to crawl further, but not today. Today as I came around the turn there was this little, proud face smiling at me. He was standing in his cot, holding onto the side. James had managed to pull himself up into a standing position and was very proud of himself, as was I. I wanted to see him do it, so I put him back into his cot after a congratulations cuddle and watched how he pulled himself back up. But, when it came time to show his Daddy, he couldn't do it..... Babies always making you out to be a liar...lol.
So now, I think the trouble starts..... how long do I have until he starts walking?

Bad Behaviour at Tesco's

Here is a laugh that I found on www.badmothersclub.co.uk:

For all the guys who ever get dragged round Tesco against their will and perhaps some of the girls, should try a few of these too - may liven thingsup. Proof of what can happen if a wife or girlfriend drags her husband or boyfriend along shopping.

This letter was recently sent by Tesco's HeadOffice to a customer in Wigan :
Dear Mrs. Cater, While we thank you for your valued custom and use of the Tesco Loyalty Card,the Manager of our store in Wigan is considering banning you and your family from shopping with us, unless your husband stops his antics. Below is a list of offences over the past few months all verified by our surveillance cameras:
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people'strolleys when they weren't looking.
2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in House Wares togo off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to feminine products aisle.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code3' in House Wares..... and watched what happened.
5. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
6. September 15: Set up a tent in the outdoor clothing department and told shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring sausages and a Calor gasstove.
7. September 23: When the Deputy Manager asked if she could help him, he began to cry and asked, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
8. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, picked his nose, and ate it.
9. November 10: While appearing to be choosing kitchen knives in the House Wares aisle asked an assistant if he knew where the antidepressants were situated.
10. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the theme tune from 'Mission Impossible'
11. December 6: In the kitchenware aisle, practiced the 'Madonna look' using different size funnels.
12. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed, yelled 'PICK ME, PICK ME!'
13. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, assumed the fetal position and screamed 'NO! NO! It's those voices again.'
And;
last, but not least:
14. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited a while; then yelled, very loudly, 'There is no toilet paper in here.'

Congratulations!

This is an email I received today that I thought I should share:
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1920's, 30's 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's !
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of bacon and processed meat, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking!!!
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a Bakkie on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC, Steers, Nandos. Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn't open on the weekends, somehow we didn't starve to death! We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner store and buy Chappies, Wilson 's Toffees, Wicks Bubble Gum and some crackers to blow up frogs with.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. We built tree houses and cubby houses and played in river beds with matchbox cars.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on DSTV, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no Lawsuits from these accidents.
Only girls had pierced ears!
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time.......no really!
We were given pellet guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays!!
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
Mum didn't have to go to work to help dad make ends meet!
RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! Getting into the team was based on MERIT AND NOT DUE TO BLACKMAIL, THREATS AND GUILT FROM THE PAST..... strange but true!
Our teachers used to belt us with big sticks and leather staps and bully's always ruled the playground at school. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 70 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

(For my American friends, a bakkie is a pick up truck and Chappies are little bubblegums)

Protect Me Protect My Baby

Today is a day that we are going to remember for months. James and I went to our first protest. It was a protest called 'Protect me, protect my baby'. In the UK a new bill has been passed that it is illegal to ask a mom to stop breastfeeding her baby in public, if the baby is under 6 months old. We were protesting the fact that there is the 6 month limit, why? We should be able to feed our baby in public regardless of your babies age. No, I don't plan on breastfeeding James until he is 4 years old, but I do plan on breastfeeding him until he is a year old, at least. We left home at about 12 and went to the Bournemouth Gardens and met the other moms there, there were about 70 moms there when we arrived, and throughout the day I think that there must have been about 100 moms with babies that stopped by. Our protest was in the form of a picnic and there were moms, babies and buggies everywhere, people were stopping to stare and take photos. Even the Newspaper came out and took some group shots and interviewed some moms. James and I should be in the paper either tomorrow or Wednesday! Yay! Only 7 months old and has already made the news.

After the picnic protest we decided to take the bus home, well, the first bus that we got on broke down, so we all had to get out of the bus to get on the next one. The next bus that came everyone else got on, except James and I. The bus was full and where the buggie was suppose to go there were old people sitting and I don't like making old people stand, so we waited for the next bus. We got on the next bus and this "Bob Marley wannabee" was very taken up with James and he kept trying to talk to James and James kept smiling from me to Bob with a smile that said, 'Dude what are you on? Are you like a clown or something because there is something wrong with your hair'. We then drove past the bus that everyone else had climbed on because that bus had crashed into a car (not serious at all), and all those people from that bus then had to climb onto our bus. We then went to the library and renewed our books and then to Sainsburys. There is a cashier I try and avoid there because she never greets and never smiles, life is just too much for her, but today she was working the wide aisle till so I went to her, and found out that she is from Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa, so now she smiles and me and even said good bye! From there we went to Boots, where I bought James' nappies, and even though it wasn't advertised they were 2GBP cheaper than on the card in front of it. I bought a couple of other things, but noticed that I never received the double points that I was suppose to for buying Pampers, so I queried it, and the cashier added an extra 100 points (each point is worth a pence), I was only suppose to receive an extra 28 points, so for a purchase that came to 13.32GBP, I got 214 points.... yay!!!

So all in all, I think that we had one of our best days in a long time, and the sun was shining on us as well.....

James getting ready to leave home and protest!

James enjoyed his lunch at the protest

Mummies and Babies Everywhere!

This protesting is hard work......

James and I

After a hard day of protesting

(This protest was going on throughout England, we went to the Bournemouth one)

This weekends lucky number is 7!

Yesterday Gareth turned 27 and today James was 7 months old! Yay! So, 7 was our lucky number this weekend. For fun, I compared the weeks/days that Gareth had been alive to the amount of weeks/days that James had been alive, so Gareth has been alive for 1409 weeks and James 30 weeks, Gareth has been alive for 9863 days and James 213 days. If you want to work out how many days, months or weeks old you are, go to www.timeanddate.com

My 7 month old!

My 27 year old!

Does the fairy exist?

I really, really, really want a cleaning fairy. I want one that will come into my house while I am sleeping and clean my kitchen. I am so sick of washing dishes, I just wash them and then they are dirty again........and wash them and they are dirty again.... and then I wash them and they are dirty again. I wish that one morning I could wake up and find that someone else has cleaned my kitchen.... I even bought Fairy Dishwashing liquid, I wonder if I rub the bottle if a she will appear?

The Title was missing......

I forgot a title for my post below, again! Sorry. I think perhaps its because I never actually thought of one.

The school holidays are on their way and I am dreading it. Not because there are going to be kids all over the place getting up to no good, but because for some unknown reason most of my groups stop. I go to Baby groups, i.e. Under One's and Jolly Babies, but yet they stop for the school holidays. So, the only group that still runs is my Breastfeeding group.......its going to be a long few weeks, although the Children's Center will be having drop in's at the park and at the beach, and they are having a few Teddy Bear Picnics.... but still, it breaks our weekly routine.... oh well......you win some, you loose some and you go insane at others..... Watch this space!

The Title was Thank Goodness for Tomy!

Oops, I forgot a title.... here it is.....

(And in case you did not realise it - that is not James in the pictures)

The solution this week to get James to sleep in his cot is this:

=

Its called the Tomy Moonlight Dreamshow. We bought it on Saturday for 10 quid and it has been worth every pence. It is voice activated so everytime James moans it switches on. It projects a slideshow of Winne The Pooh characters and bees and butterflies in the ceiling above the cot, it also has a gorgeous tune that sounds like you have just opened a jewellery box. It is very soothing. And James is happy to watch it and put himself back to sleep. He still needs a feed at around midnight and 5am, although the Health Visitor has told us that he should not need to feed at night, so last night I just did 10 minute feeds, tonight I will do 9 minute feeds and tomorrow night I will do a 8 minute feed, etc.

So this is what works for this week, hopefully it will last longer than that.... but he is a baby, so I know that it will just start working and then something will happen and mess it up.... oh well, Yay! for a weeks sleep, I even had 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night......

We have a Dada

James has said his first Dada. He first said it yesterday about 10 minutes before Gareth got home, and then actually said it to Gareth this morning while I was sleeping. And now he keeps saying Dadadadadadada. I know that he is calling everything that right now, but we are very excited. He is getting so big, he can sit unsupported, he is trying to crawl, he knows how to put his bum in the air and his legs under his torso, even how to put his arms up straight, but he can't do them all together, and now we have a Dada too..... soon he is going to be graduating university.....

Look Ma, no Hands!!!

Controlled Crying Sucks!

Yes, I have said it, Controlled Crying Sucks! We have stopped it. After 5 nights of terrible crying, both James and I getting physically ill from it, we have decided that it does not work for us. Maybe for other people, but not for this Rose Family. So now I am trying Good Night Milk and Aromatherapy....... I have started giving James special, thicker formula milk in hope of keeping his belly fuller for longer. I am still breastfeeding him, it just means that he now gets a bottle before going to bed. I have put a teddy in his cot as a comforter and on this teddy bear I put some lavender and chamomile oils. Now I just need to see if this is going to take effect. Since doing the controlled crying James has become scared of his cot, so we have to try and make it his happy place again. I will accept any suggestions on getting him happy in his cot and/or making him sleep longer.... please help!

His weaning is going really well, he had toast and scrambled egg with cheese today..... yay!!! Food is becoming so much easier for him......

Baby Pop Star

This is what James does to entertain his friends on weekend.....

The Naked Baby

I went to dance class today, it was just a taster class that lasted one hour, we did some Zumba and Street Dancing. It was a lot of fun and energetic, but the best part was it had a free Creche. Yes, I sent James to creche for the first time today..... ok, it was only for an hour and he was in the same building as me, but its progress. When I dropped him off I had to fill in a form and told them that if James does become 'difficult' that he likes to be naked. Well, I got back to the creche after the class and there was James in his pram, sleeping like a bear in winter, except that he was just in his nappy.... and he slept for almost a full hour after that. Apparently one of the other little boys starting crying, so James joined in and the only way to calm him was to strip him of his clothes. But, he was the cutest thing lying there in just his nappy.

We making progress on the food front too, tonight James had Salmon with mashed potato and butternut, and a yoghurt and a apple and pear fruit pot. He then also gummed on a mini corn. Its great that he is starting to eat finger foods and food with lumps....

My little naked baby is getting so big.........

Why Oh Why?

We have started Controlled Crying with James. For those of you that don't know what that is, it is a 'sleep programme' to train your baby to sleep through the night. You have to put your baby in the cot awake and when he cries you go to cot and comfort him, but don't take him out. You delay the intervals inbetween going back to the cot. You first go after 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, etc. You do the same thing through out the night, and I have been warned that babies can cry for up to 2 hours. And you should only do this with a baby 6 months or older. Well, tonight is night 3 for us, and I need to ask why oh why have we decided to do this. Yes, James refuses to sleep in his cot and yes, he is waking up at least 3 times a night for food, but is all the crying worth it? I think that at the moment I feel like the most awful mom in the world, almost like I am making him cry on purpose, but in the end it will be worth it hopefully. I know that if I stop this sleep programme now then the last few nights tears are just going to be a wasted and I will have been an awful mom. I know that having James sleep from 8pm to 7am again will be worth it. I know that James sleeping in his cot again and not in our bed will be worth it.

This morning James woke up at 8am instead of 9:30am, and this made all the differance to our day. That 1 hour 30 minutes allowed me to do more housework than I have been able to do in months, so him sleeping in his cot is worth it. I would have done more, but I seem to have caught some sort of tummy bug and that delayed things.

Oh well, heres to another night of crying.........

(although it should only last a week and the first 2/3 nights are suppose to be the worst)

Good News!

Tigger has been spotted. Thanks to GG and Grandma. He should be with us shortly. And Spiderman will be coming with him to make sure he arrives safely. Apparently he had gone to visit Spiderman in Cape Town.

REWARD OFFERED!!!

TIGGER IS MISSING!!!

REWARD OFFERED!

LAST SEEN IN JAMES' PRAM ON THE HIGH STREET IN BOSCOMBE, BOURNEMOUTH AT +-5PM ON 19 JUNE 2008!

Please we need Tigger back ASAP before James notices that he has gone MIA!

If anyone in South Africa is reading this, please send another......

Tigger was born at Toys R Us hospital (in Century City) in June 2007.

Whats in a year?

19 June 2007 seems like a lifetime ago, but at the same time it feels like the last year has flown, and we are now just differant people. A year ago today, Gareth and I landed in the UK. We knew what we wanted, but didn't know what to expect. We were moving here without actually ever being here before. We had no idea what Bournemouth or the UK were about except from what people had told us. We had no idea where we were going to live or work. We were still childless and had no idea how much our lives were about to change. On our first day we went and stayed with Gareth's sister in her studio flat. We stayed there for exactly a month and then found our great flat, and have stayed here since. We both found jobs at the same Insurance company. Gareth in the finance department and me in the household claims department. We knew that we we were pregnant when we arrived, so we found our doctor and midwife. We got our NI numbers and our NHS numbers, and started life here.
19 June 2008 - We are now parents and love living in the UK. I am not working at the insurance company as I am still looking after my baby, Gareth is still working there. I have a whole new group of wonderful friends with their babies. Gareth's sister is living with us temporarily.

We have not been home in the last year, although my Aunt and Uncle, my mom, stepdad and sisters, my best friend Bicara and Gareth's parents have all been to stay with us. We really do miss home sometimes, especially on Tuesday that past, Gareth and I had plane tickets booked and paid for that we lost as we don't have a passport for James yet.

Sorry I know that this post is all over the place, but that is how my brain is working today.......

My other child....

Tonight is a nice quiet night, after a nice quiet weekend. We had some excitement on Friday night when we received some unexpected money, so what do 2 people who are debt free do with extra money? We start a savings account. I am so happy to be in a place in our lives where we are able to do so..... I feel so grown up. Yesterday we just wondered around the shops and bought, well, hardly anything. We did buy James a Winnie The Pooh DVD. We had not planned on it, but while we were in the DVD shop I showed him the cover and he looked at it for about 10 seconds and then saw Tigger and his whole face lit up and he had the brighest smile. He loves Tigger. We have a Tigger toy and I have to take it with me everywhere. Its like having a second child (that doesn't need to be fed, or have nappy changes and sleeps through the night).

James and Tigger in March

James and Tigger in April (on a Ferry in Liverpool)

James and Tigger In May

Opposite of homesick?

I get homesick quite often and I wonder to myself, have we made a mistake moving away from South Africa? Away from home? Are we being fair? To us? To James? What makes us want to leave our family, friends and beautiful country? Is this really a better life for us?

I keep hearing from people at home how bad life has become. Its really starting to get depressing. Everybody seems to struggling to make ends meet. Prices of things are increasing all the time, the interest rate is going up another 2%, making it 17%!. Most people are putting their houses on the market as they can't afford the mortgage. Most people are looking for other jobs that are paying more. Gone are the days of just giving up luxuaries to help make ends meet, people are starting to give up their standard of living to help make ends meet. Young married couples are moving back in with their parents, as they can't afford to live by themselves. Businesses are closing down as they can't afford to stay open. There are no buyers for the houses, there are no jobs for the people. There are constantly power cuts as the only electric supply company in the country keeps crashing. They are living in fear with the crime rate increasing all the time. People have gone mad and South Africa is going through a Xenophobia crisis.

When I hear all of this, I almost feel guilty. Gareth and I made the decision in 2005 to leave SA. We first went to America and then we moved to the UK. We now rent a nice 2 bedroom flat in a nice town, are debt free and basically have a decent life. I am a stay at home mom and Gareth works for an insurance company. We have a gorgeous little boy, and a happy home life. I am not saying that we don't have troubles and we certainly are not rich, or even comfortable. But, we are not giving up our standard of living in order to survive. We do still live month to month, but we are not having sleepless nights wondering how to pay our bills. We not living our lives in fear of crime.

So, that makes me wonder, what is the opposite of homesick? Its when we realise that we are being fair to us and to James. We are making a better life for us and for James, and even though its hard being so far away from family and friends, in the long run we are doing whats best. So, what do you call that?

(Here are photos from South Africa - all taken by Gareth or myself)

I know that I should...

I know that today I should:
1. Get dressed - and get James dressed
2. Vacuum my house
3. Clean the bathroom
4. Dust the stairs
5. Pack away last nights dishes
6. Eat lunch
7. Go get the meat for supper
8. Look up the recipe idea for tonight

I know I should..... I know I will..... I know...... I.......will..... in 5 minutes.... in 10 minutes maybe..... in 20 minutes hopefully......

Ok, hopefully before Gareth gets home.......

I really want all of these.....

I went to a fair and they were doing professional photo shoots for free with no obligation to buy, so I had a few photos of James taken and this is what I have received back..... I now want to order all of them..... but we will need to save up first....

Ow ow ow......

Tuesday might have been one of the longest days of my life...... James would not nap the whole day. I tried everything to try and get him to sleep, but nothing. Normally if I put him in his buggy and walk fast, he goes to sleep. No, instead he screamed so loud and for so long that he was turning different shades of red and purple and forgot to breathe... great, and can you imagine the looks I got when I needed to go shopping. The people that have never had kids were looking at me as to say "When I have kids, thats not going to happen, what a bad mother", the people who had kids when the dinosaurs roamed the earth looked at me as to say"When my kids were little, children were seen and not heard, they knew their place, what a bad mother", those who had kids with them looked smugly at their sleeping Angels and thought "Naanaah naanahh, my Angel is sleeping, what a bad mother", except for the one mother who looked at me and gave me a sympathetic smile..... Thank you, you were all that saved me from bursting into tears myself, well, then at least. After what felt like years, I finally made it home, and James continued to scream, so I drugged him paracetamol in hope of it making him sleep.... nope, no luck. So, by the time Gareth walked in the door I had done nothing the whole day and now had a stream of tears going down my face..... and what did James do..... FREAKING SMILE AT HIS DADDY!!!!! Gareth got more smiles in 3 minutes than I had gotten the whole day..... and then he started screaming some more..... But later, when we tried to put James to bed, he projectile vomited twice across our bed, and then started pulling his body his body stiff and shaping it like a banana.... he had stomach cramps..... so how did James and I sleep? In a sitting up position with me rocking us backwards and forwards.... it helped, except for then feeding in his sleep, he slept until 9am Wednesday morning.

I had my second Chiropractor appointment today, it was my first treatment appt. and I am now sore. She has 3 places on my back to work on , and they are sore. My pelvis is tight, she trying to loosen it up..... but ow ow ow.......She did say I should go home and put an ice pack on it. And when James had his examination, I was told "he is as perfect as they come"..... music to a mothers ears....... But the funny news about going to the Chiropractor? Is that I left there feeling thinner, well, less fat? Strange I know, but then that I am...... a strange person......

A pic of Grandpa Greg and James

Sorry, GG I could not find one .... had to search. This is the best I could do.

Finally, my war story

So, when I started this blog in March I had promised to tell you about my War Story AKA My birthing story..... well, here it goes....

It starts on Wednesday, 12 December 2007. I was under the consultants care at the hospital as I had Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. I mentioned to the consultant that I had been having really bad "Braxton Hicks" all day and asked her if that could be a sign, as at one stage they were regulary 15 minutes apart, she asked if she could do a spectrum (examination). She did one and discovered that I was 2cm dilated. She did a stretch and sweep and said that the next time she saw me that I would probably be in the delivery room. The next day I had bad cramps all day and had my show that evening.... and then waited.... and waited..... and waited. I had to see the midwife every second day to have my blood pressure checked, and on Sunday, 16 December, I had to go to Bournemouth Hospital, just for a check up on my BP, as the midwife could not make it to my house that day. My BP was high when they took it and decided that they needed to transfer me to Poole Hospital, as I am a high risk case and Bournemouth don't deal with High Risk pregnancies. They would not let me take a bus to the other hospital, as we do not own a car. So, they made me go in an Ambulance. My first time ever in an Ambulance. Luckily Gareth was with me. They took me straight to the delivery suite when we get there and my BP stabilized. I asked them to do a spectrum as well, as I suspected that my waters were breaking slowly. They did and I was still only 2cm dilated, and my waters were still intact, so home we went again (via bus). Wednesday, 19 December 2007, I had another consultant appointment and this time after viewing my BP, they decided that because we were so close to my due date that they should induce me as close to my due date as possible. My due date was Sunday, 23 December 2007. I then spoke to the midwife doing the bookings and I was booked to be induced on Saturday, 22 December 2007. When you are induced you have to go into hospital the night before. On Thursday, 20 December 2007, Gareth and I went shopping for last minute supplies for me to go into hospital the next night.... a magazine, a couple snacks, etc. That afternoon I was tired, so my sister Jessica and I went to go and lie on the bed my parents were using while they were visiting me (my mom and stepdad were in Ireland from the Monday until the Next day, and my sisters were still staying by me. They had all come out to stay from 4 December - 27 December). I started reading P.S I love you, and then had an hours nap. At 6:40pm I put a Pork Tenderloin into the oven to roast, knowing that it only needed about 20 minutes. Just before 7pm I started to feel ill, so I went upstairs and tried to make myself get sick, I couldn't, so I lay on the bathroom floor. I, then thought that I might as well go and lie on the couch downstairs. I got to the couch and as I was half way down to put my bum on the seat I felt a gush of liquid between my legs, I burst out laughing, and Gareth and Jessica both asked me, "Whats wrong", I said "I think my waters just broke", and got up and tried to sit down again, and again a big gush between my legs..... so we all looked at each other..... Now What?. Luckily I was wearing dance trousers and they are very absorbant, so nothing leaked onto the couch. I went upstairs and changed then decided that I should phone the hospital, just to check. Normally you don't need to phone the hospital or anything until your contractions are regular and 5 minutes apart.... I had not had one contraction yet. The midwife at the hospital said that I should come in and just be checked out, but they will probably send me home again, as first labours take hours (I am talking 12-18 hours plus). I went back downstairs and it was 7:40pm, the pork was burnt, but I still made the gravy for it, and had 2 very mild contractions. Gareth called the taxi service, and then we went downstairs into the road to wait, with 3 bags and a 4 pack of Lucozade. The taxi arrived and took Gareth and myself to the hospital, I again had 2 very mild contractions on the way there. We got to the hospital and I suddenly got very nervous, I remember telling Gareth that I was not ready and never wanted to do this, and tried to leave the hospital.... too late. We went up to the assessment unit, and it was almost as soon as we walked into the Hospital my contractions were really strong and one after the other, there was not a gap inbetween them. They showed me to a room in the assessment unit and a midwife came to speak to me. She told me that if I really was in labour (i.e. established labour) that they were going to have to transfer me to another hospital, Bournemouth Hospital won't take me, as I am high risk, so I will either have to go to Dorchester (40km away) or Salisbury Hospital (47 km away), as their Delivery Ward was closed for the night, as they had too many ladies in labour. First thing that Gareth and I both thought of was the Taxi Fare...lol. They did spectrum to see how far I was, and I knew that they weren't transfering me anywhere when the midwife said, I can tell you that the baby had dark hair. I was 4cm dilated and it was around 9pm. They were having a change of staff and told me that someone would come and see me soon. They gave me a gas and air cannister, at first I refused it as I have had Gas and air before and it made me feel sick. I told them that I wanted an epidural, I was told that the doctor and anaesthetist were both busy with 2 emergencies and they would get to me as soon as they could. I sucked on the gas and air, but found that it never did anything for me, but I carried on as it gave me something else to focus on. At about 10pm Amanda, the midwife assigned to me aka my new best friend, came to collect me and take me to the delivery ward. She told me that she had been pulled off the post natal ward and had not delivered a baby in 5 years..... Great!!! At just before 11pm I had said to Gareth that either I need the bathroom or I needed to push (I always wondered how you would know when to push, well, now I knew). I asked Amanda when I was getting my epidural and she told me that the doctor and anaesthetist were still busy, Gareth told her what I had told him and she asked me if I wanted some pethidine. I said "yes, please"....... but, I must tell you that I was totally against pethidine, but at this stage I could not even think straight. She said that she would first need to examine me.... she did and told Gareth he can take the gas cannister away from me, and that I was not getting that pethidine as I was ready to push..... HUH?!? I am having this baby without drugs?!? I can't tolerate pain and I am not brave? Whats going on?!? After 45 minutes of pushing, Gareth holding my one leg and Amanda the other, James Edward Rose entered the world. He was put straight onto my stomach, umbilical cord still attached, and I kept staring at this little person on my tummy, saying to myself, "Its a baby, its a baby" in disbelieve. Gareth cut the cord and then came and stood next me, we opened up his legs together, and both said at the same time, "Its a boy!!!" One of my most memorable and special moments ever. He was born at 11:55pm on 20 December 2007. The midwife then told Gareth to pull the cord behind the bed, and in rushed the doctor, the anaesthetist and 4 midwives. Gareth was given James and they were pushed against the wall, I was told to stay calm, yet I had no idea what was going on. As quickly as I can say drip, they had one up and in me. I had started to Hemorrhage. Gareth says that it looked like a horror movie, there was blood pouring down the sides of the bed and forming a meter by meter pool of blood under the bed. They managed to stop it and deliver my placenta within 12 minutes. They then gave James back to me and he did his first feed for 25 minutes, really impressive. After they had cleaned up the blood, they could see that I had torn - second degree and vaginal wall.... although they did suspect that that I had third degree tears.... luckily not. Finally at 3am, with the help of a lot of gas and air (it worked wonders then), the stitched me up. I was kept on the delivery ward until 2pm the next day to be monitored and then transfered to the post natal ward. That Friday, my sisters came to meet My Son. That night I hardly slept as James would cry and then the other 3 babies in the 4 bed room would cry too. On Saturday I begged to be released to go home, the doctor said that I can, if I came back the next day for a check up, as my iron levels were not good. I got home at about 6pm and introduced my parents to their first Grandson, another special moment. I went back the next day and everything was ok. But thanks to the Hemorrhaging I am now anemic and need to take iron tablets every now and then or I don't have the energy to get out of bed.

James was 56cm and 8lbs (3.63kg) at birth. My records show that my labour lasted 3 hours 7 minutes and that I lost 1.6 litres of blood. Thanks to the Amanda and all the staff at Poole Hospital.

Me in my last weeks of pregnancy

James being weighed

James and Mommy

James and Daddy

James a couple of minutes old

On the post natal ward.... exhausted

Daddy admiring his handsome son

Aunty Roxi and James

James first hour at home

Aunty Jess and James

Proud Grandma and James

Now look how big he is.......

He is just growing and growing and growing

(5 months old now)


And thats my war story..... in a few years I will another one, so watch this space.....