Imogen's first Christmas

Christmas was different this year - but then that's no surprise really! Having to grow up and "become" Santa for a start...!

The decorations around the house had to be Imogen & Buster proof, so the big tree was sidelined this year and some decorated branches put in it's place. Not quite the same, but it added a bit of festive cheer and Imogen liked the lights around the base!

Christmas Eve was the nativity service at church. I'd somehow volunteered to write and co-ordinate it this year, so was hoping all would go well. I needn't have worried - despite a few last minute panics (like Mary not turning up!), the kids were all great and the true Christmas story was told with panache (well, not quite panache, but they were cute!) Imogen was a little angel and joined in with the final song, playing the tambourine and smiling sweetly at everyone.

Christmas morning was lovely and quiet. We opened a few presents, Imogen had a nap, and then we headed up to church for the morning service. It was a lovely service with a good sized congregation, and Imogen joining in the carols - and sermon and prayers! - with her jingle bells that Santa had brought!

Later, things didn't go quite how we'd planned or hoped. By the time half of Dave's family had arrived late, we didn't sit down to eat until way past 2 o'clock, by which time Imogen was past it and ready for bed. So, both her and I missed out on Christmas lunch. It may sound like a small thing, but to us it mattered a lot - it was our first Christmas as a family and it hurts that it was marred like that.

On Boxing Day we headed up to Skipton for a few days with my family. The usual chaos ensued with Molly & Charlie encouraging Imogen's cheeky nature! More chaos on the Saturday with the big family party (about 30 this year, I think) at Mum & Dad's. It was lovely to see everyone again, and Imogen was great and didn't seem fazed by the bedlam! During the afternoon we headed up to the local for the "beard shave" - Dad's beard disappeared after 32 years, all in aid of charity. Well done Dad and hurrah!

Generally, Imogen has enjoyed Christmas - all the new toys (including Webster the Spider) and books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar - hurrah!), Daddy at home to play with, and yummy yummy mince pies!

Imogen hasn't been well since we got back home - nothing specific, a bit snotty and a slight temperature, but the accompanying "viral rash" was quite impressive. So, nights have been bad, with her waking frequently and taking up to 2 hours to calm again. Tonight's New Year's Eve, and we're taking the opportunity to get an early night!

Inappropriate things to say to a Mum!

Babies are great for wasting time, aren't they?
No, it's not wasting time. Its spending time bonding and learning about each other. You can't spend too much time with your child.

Is life back to normal yet?
Life is now a different normal. There's no way things can go back to how they were. I'm a Mum now. I have a daughter. Life has changed forever.

Babies don't fit in an adult world.
No, and so the adult world has to adapt to the baby. Adults understand change, babies don't. My baby comes first now.

She's teething
Babies are allowed to be ill, or just have an off day, without it being their teeth!

My tongues out, I'm concenrating!

You may have noticed on several of the photos of Imogen that her tongue is out - it's a frequent occurrence! Not quite sure why, but it seems to be a kind of concentration aid. She obvious concentrates a lot! She finds it very funny when you try pushing it back into her mouth, and everyone remarks about it - the doctor even told her it would get cold if she didn't put it away!

Anyway, this video shows her current mobility level - of course, aided by the tongue!

Kitchen drumming

OK, we've now managed to get a short clip of Imogen's kitchen drumming antics. She loves it!

I am the music man!

Imogen has always seemed to like music - from very early on she settled when the organ played at church, and she seems to smile and laugh when I sing to her (or maybe that's just laughing in despair at the silly songs I make up!).

I couldn't resist buying the saxaphone for her - well, Mummy and Daddy have got one, so why shouldn't she. Dave was very impressed when he gave it to her for the first time and she held it properly and put the mouthpiece in her mouth. Fluke really, but we can dream!

And then last week we called in to see Aunty Margaret & Uncle Peter and Imogen took to the piano. She was facinated when Uncle Peter was playing and then loved having a go herself. Not exactly concert pianist standard yet, but give it a few years!

She's also learning that hitting things makes a noise, and thinks that's great! I did try and take a video of her playing the kitchen "drums", but it didn't work, so you'll just have to imagine that one. Uncle Hugh should be proud!

Marmite - yuck!

I can't believe my daughter is a marmite lover! Grr!

Stupidly I bought her some marmite cheese bites, not thinking that it might lead to the real thing. I only bought them to give her a bit of a flavour (thinking she wouldn't like it 'cos neither Dave or I do - or so I thought). As it turns out she loved the cheese, and Dave decided to inform me that he likes marmite (proves you never know everything!) and that he hadn't had it for ages, so he'd buy a jar. We're now on the second jar, and Imogen loves it - the cheese bites and the real thing on toast.

Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!

Sleep

Things seem to have improved a lot on the sleep front over the last couple of weeks, which has made for a happier life for all!

We were getting to the stage of not really knowing what to do - Imogen was waking during the night and sometimes it would be 1 1/2 - 2 hours before she would settle in her cot again, and when this happens two or three times a night for several nights in a row, it's just not funny. We didn't know what the problem was - she would settle fine if she was cuddled, but as soon as we made any attempt to put her down in her cot she would wake and scream. I could cope for an hour at a time, but then would get frustrated and angry which wasn't doing either of us any good - waking Dave up to take over meant at least Imogen was kept calmish, even if I still didn't get sleep.

We couldn't go on like that, so we made a decision that Dave was going to get up to her in the night, to try to get her out of the habit of wanting milk from me every time she woke - I was finding it very difficult to settle her in any other way - and I would only get up if it was really necessary. This didn't mean a whole night's sleep for me, 'cos I still woke when she did and had to prod Dave to wake him! So that went on for a couple of nights and things were a bit calmer. We still weren't sure why she was walking in the first place, but she did seem to settle back a bit better.

The real break-through came when we were going to the boat for the weekend. We'd been using blankets at home, but decided that she'd need a gro-bag on the boat as it would be colder there. As she hadn't been in a gro-bag since camping in the summer, we put her in it for a couple of nights at home before going away - and bingo, she slept through!

Since then we've had more sleep-through nights that waking ones. They're not every night, but at least we get some decent sleep. On the theory that when you change something you have to do things for three days for it to become the norm, we reckoned that we'd have to have three sleep-throughs in a row before we could in any way hope for more. We've had several two-nights-in-a-row, but it's never got to three - until last night! Hurray!

Sleep in the day is a lot better now as well. In the morning she seems to be ready for a sleep about 1 1/2 hours after getting up - for anywhere between 1/2 and 2 hours - and then another sleep in the afternoon. It's all fairly flexible though and as long as she gets a couple of sleeps during the day, with one of them of a decent length, then she's fine - they can be in the car, in the pushchair walking Buster or in her cot as long as it's somewhere where there's not too much going on for a nosey little girl to watch!

And Imogen is so much happier when she's slept properly - when she wakes up she doesn't cry straight away, but will lie and talk to Mr Cow for a while, before giing you a lovely big grin when you come to get her. Great!

Tha Nanny Factor

Why does Nanny have some magical influence over my daughter? Imogen's on antibiotics at the moment for a chest infection, which started on Wednesday. Last week she was refusing to take it from me, so I was having to let her cry, squirt about 0.5ml into her mouth then let her suck her thumb to get her to swallow it, before repeating again and again until the full dose had gone. However, over the weekend, when Nanny was around, Imogen decided that the antibiotics were yummy and she would just suck it straight out of the syringe with a grin on her face. It didn't even have to be Nanny giving her it, she just needed to be around. And now we're home? Yes, you've guessed it - we're back to the screaming, squirting, thumb-sucking routine!

Come back Nanny!

Canal-boating

I'm writing this whilst sitting on the boat, so it's a bang-up-to-date story.

We're on the boat for the weekend, having come to see Nanny & Gramps and introduce Imogen and Buster to the joys of boating. As you can see, it's been a very wet introduction, but at least we can't be accused of mollicoddling (not sure about the spelling of that!) our child! As I once heard someone say "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing"!

Bless her, she kept smiling while the rain dripped down her face and her eyes watered from the wind. Don't worry - she had plenty of layers on under the waterproof.

On slightly different news, her crawling is developing "well" - she can now move about fairly efficiently on hands and knees, rather than hauling herself along on her belly - this latest skill has been practised a lot on the boat where she's decided the sparkly surround to the fire is a good thing to aim for. I say well, but I can see that as the hands and legs get more co-ordinated the crawling is going to become more efficient and I'm really not going to be able to keep up with her - good for her, but not so good for me! She's now also able to go from sitting to crawling, so I can't even rely on leaving her sat with a few toys - anything that's not immediately in front of her is always more attractive.

Buster seems to be quite happy with the boat as well. After being a bit cautious about getting on it when we arrived he's now a dab hand at the jumping on and off bit. The towpath is generally a good place where he can run off some energy (unless there's a road nearby of course) although a manic episode nearly ended in a splash earlier when he was running towards me and skidded on the wet ground - luckily he stopped in time!

There's no stopping her now!

OK. So she was crawling, and she was sitting, but hadn't quite linked the two together - until now! So, now we can't leave her sat in the middle of a room and expect her to be there when we return. At the moment it takes a bit of effort, but it doesn't stop her and that object at the far side of the room is always more attractive than whatever is right by her side! That object could be the vegetable rack in the corner of the kitchen, the cable that we thought we'd pushed far enough under the sideboard (ha!) or the magazine that we left by the side of the sofa. In fact, anything that's not a toy!

So now our house looks like gate city! Having three stories in the house, with the kitchen, lounge and playroom on the middle floor, we've got to have 2 gates just for the stairs on that floor. And then we decided to put another one across the landing to keep Imogen separate from Buster without constantly banishing the dog downstairs. This gate means that Buster can have the lounge, while I'm in the kitchen and Imogen's in the playroom and everyone's happy - it also stops Buster getting to Imogen's toys!

Oh the joys of a moving child!

A night out - just the two of us!

Yesterday was Dave's birthday, so having had offers of babysitters from various angles, and with Imogen being more reliable (but not totally!) in her sleep, we decided we deserved a night out. We booked a table at the restaurant in the village for 8.30, so we could be faily sure she'd be asleep, and she was - so we escaped!

Dave tried to ban me from saying "I hope she's OK" which didn't totally work - and we were home by 10.30, 'cos we were both too tired to stay out longer! But we had a lovely time and will certainly be repeating the experience again!

It's a good job we didn't go out tonight though - she's got another cold (and has had for a couple of days) and Dave's up with her at the moment trying to resettle her after a coughing fit!

Photographs

Now Imogen is 6 months old, and the number of photographs is increasing all the time, I've decided to archive the photo album here. A new one, to cover the next 6 months or so, can be seen at the left.

Indescribable antics

Some things you just can't describe, so here's a couple of short clips of Imogen's latest antics - blowing raspberries (as taught by her little friend, Ollie P) and shaking her head.

Off-road buggies

We went to Meadowhall today and whilst walking round, and waiting for me to try clothes on, Dave obviously got bored and made an observation. Of all the three-wheeler, "off-roader" buggies, ours was the only one with mud on the wheels! Is this a kiddie version of the Chelsea Tractors?

First tooth

Imogen has her first tooth! I don't believe all this "She's teething" malarkey - kids get colds and feel rotten and it doesn't have to be the teeth. But anyway, her first one is here. We've been expecting it as Dave noticed the gums were a bit white a few days ago, and then I noticed that the gum looked like it was starting to split. And this morning, there was the appearance of a sharp top of a bottom tooth. It's only just coming through, so not yet very visible, but if you put your finger in her mouth you can feel it!

On My Own

(No not the Andrew Lloyd Webber tune from Les Miserable)

Last Friday Charlotte went out on a hen-do for one of the other Mum's from the baby group for the evening and left me to cope on my own with Imogen. We had dinner together (ish) and she gave her a dose of "Mummy Milk" before she went out. I then gave Imogen a bath then read a story, another little dose of milk and she drifted off to sleep without any real trouble.

Even though Imogen was a bit under the weather during the day, there wasn't any problems with going to sleep, and staying that way until well after C got home at 2:30am (dirty stop-out!!)

I had had a few 'practice' runs when I did the bath/story/bed routine when C took Buster for a walk and they generally went OK, so C never really had anything to worry about.

Snotty noses and horrible rashes

Imogen has got another bug! I've lost count of how many she's had now, but we're well on the way to the 5 before she's one to reduce the risk of asthma etc.
This one started on Thursday night - she woke up just after 10pm with a horrible snotty nose, struggling to settle and feed. After Karvol on Mr Cow, Vicks on her chest & back, saline drops in her nose, and a good hour or so of cuddles I finally persuaded her to settle and go back to sleep. An odd dose of paracetamol over the next 36 hours and she didn't seem to be too bad.
Then late Saturday evening her temperature rose and the paracetamol didn't seem to be helping, so off to the shop to get some ibuprofen. Over the next 24 hours she continued to spike temperatures and she started refusing solids and was just generally miserable etc. I spoke to the local out-of-hours doctor, but decided not drag her out (no screaming so unlikely to be an ear infection, not struggling with breathing, and still taking fluids) on Sunday evening.
A trip to the local surgery yesterday morning confirmed that it's all just viral, with no sign of a bacterial infection anywhere, so all of yesterday we just stayed at home and cuddled lots.
Last night was awful - she woke several times and took plenty of settling each time - which was topped off by a migraine for me. And then this morning she suddenly developed a rash all over the tummy and chest. Dave had changed her nappy when he got up at 8 and didn't see anything, but by 9.30 when I went to get her dressed it was all over. And I just thought the worst - scary or what?! I quickly put some clothes on her and rushed to the surgery again, where everyone was really nice, and very quickly she got checked out by a doctor. It turned out to be a "viral rash" ie nothing to worry about, but was warned that it may get worse before it gets better, may spread more and may move around her body. I've kept an eye on it today - by the time I put her to bed it was on her shoulders & neck and all round her bum as well.
In herself, she's up and down, but she's certainly not herself. Sometimes she's really clingy and just wants a cuddle, but then other times she's quite happy to play on the floor and chase Buster's tail! Hopefully we've got to the worst of this bug now, and she'll improve over the next few days. Until the next one!

Sitting and crawling

Yes, Imogen is now doing both!

She's been sitting fairly well for two or three weeks now, but just the last few days she's been doing it, fairly reliably, unsupported. Yes, she's not good at keeping her balance when Buster pushes past, or when she twist or reaches sideways, but as long as she's happy playing with whatever is in front of her, she's fine. We still wouldn't leave her, because she does get tired but her strength is increasing all the time.

And the crawling has just happened today. Up until now she's managed to get around by rolling sideways and spinning on her belly, but today there was definite purposeful forward movement. It's commando crawling at the moment, but her bum does go in the air and her knees do go under her sometimes, so I'm guessing it'll develop into "proper" crawling given more time and practice. The movement is still slow, and obviously hard work (lots of huffing and puffing involved), but no doubt that will change in the coming days as well. Watch out Buster - she's already chased your tail and she'll only get better at it!

Swimming lessons

After the summer break we're back with our proper swimming lessons today (we have been going to the local pool where they have a baby splash session, but it's busy and just not the same!)

Imogen's come on a lot over the last few weeks. Today she was kicking her legs so much so that the instructor joked that if I left go of her she'd be across the pool before we know it! She's a lot more confident in the water, especially with the underwater swims - just a bit of a splutter and a pet lip when she comes up, rather than the tears that we used to get.

The development over the weeks has been really good, and very gradual so nothing is too scary. Today the new thing was letting go of Imogen on the underwater swims - more scary for me that her, I suspect. Another new thing is trying to get her to hold on to the rail at the side (a safety skill), but she's still very young for this and hasn't really got the strength in her arms.

In a few weeks' time it's going to be my chance to go underwater as well, to see her swimming. I'm really looking forward to it, but reckon I should maybe wear my goggles around the house a bit before then so she's not spooked by them when it comes to that.

There's also the opportunity to go to a photography session at the end of this series of lessons, where the bring in an underwater photographer to capture the babies swimming. When the letter came about it, I dismissed it because of the cost, but having been back to the lessons with her, I now really want to do it, so we've got a lovely photo of my little water baby. Shame spare cash is still none existant :(

Food, glorious food!

Now we've got a highchair - thank you Grandma & Grandad - we're giving Imogen "proper" food. And she loves it! We can't sit her in the chair until it's ready for her - she just sits there and bangs the tray! As I said in a previous post, we're not doing the whole pureeing malarkey, and so it's finger foods all the way. There's not much we're avoiding - wheat-containing things (bread, pasta etc) and fish/seafood - and they're only until she's 6 months old. And there's not much that she hasn't liked - in fact nothing!
We've been offering her something whenever we've had anything, and have tried to keep it pretty much the same as what we're having. If we're having pasta, she's had rice cakes, and if we've put a sauce or something on that's a bit too much for her at the moment, we've just given her some plain meat instead. But tonight, for example, we had chicken with veg in a tomato base with new potatoes - all I did different for Imogen was take hers out before adding the Worcester sauce because of the salt content of that (and to give it time to cool down).
Some people have said to us "What about he choking on big pieces?". But it just doesn't happen (have a search on the Internet for the science bit behind it - all to do with what order they learn to do things, and natural gag reflexes). Yes, we wouldn't leave her alone with the food, and she's certainly gagged on things, but not for very long at all, and she soon spits out what she doesn't want.
It is a messy business, and obviously some things are messier that others. If we want an easy life mushroom, ham and carrots are a good bet. If we're prepared for a full change of clothes then rice cakes, fromage fraiche (smeared on the rice cakes) and cheese can be added in!
But it's also a very sociable way of her feeding, with us all eating together which is lovely.
From our few days of experience, it seems a lot easier than cooking loads of separate things, pureeing everything and then having to spend ages forcing it into her on a spoon, before being able to eat myself! Bring on the finger food!

Buster!!

We have a new arrival in the house - Buster arrived this afternoon. He's a rescue dog, but we know his history, and has come from a family with children (older than Imogen though). He's a terrier cross - a bit of a scruff-bag really - and is just 8 months old. He's a lively little fellow, with a lovely character, but controllable and not too boisterous.

Imogen thinks he's great and gets really excited when she sees him. As you can see by the photo she's not scared of him at all (why should she be?) and tries to stroke him - although her stroking does involve grabbing his hair!

Buster thinks Imogen is great too - he's been really good with her, and has made friends by licking her feet! Luckily he hasn't shown any interest in her toys yet, although he did lay on her play mat, so I've moved that now.

Some people have said we're mad getting a dog as well as having a young baby, but we'll soon all get used to each other and get into some sort of routine - or as much of a routine as there ever is in this house, which is not much!

Imogen's first visit to Quintet

I've only just got the photos from Dad, hence the bit of a delay to this blog. On the way back from camp we called in to see Mum and Dad on board Quintet. We were only there a few hours - just time for a bit of lunch at a nearby pub and an attempt to drop a TB in a geocache, as well as catching up with Nanny & Gramps - but as you can see from the photo, Imogen settled in well!
We're planning a proper trip soon - no dates fixed yet, but by the time the engine's fixed and Quintet's back on the go, it's going to be a few weeks away. It'll just be a few days, but now she's rolling and moving about, we're having to think about roughly how we're going to do things. The buggy's a bit big to fit on the boat, but she loves it in the sling, so that's OK. We're thinking we'll be able to strap a plastic booster seat type chair onto the roof near the back, and she'll probably like that, being able to see everything that's going on. The travel cot we've got was bought by Stuart and Rach when their kids were little, and was specifically bought as one that'll fit in the boatman's cabin, so sleeping's not a problem either.
We figure by starting early it'll just be a normal thing for her, and we'll work out the best way of doing things as we go along - as we do with everything at the moment!

Piling on the pounds

I took Imogen to be weighed again yesterday. OK, so piling on the pounds is a bit of an exaggeration, but she's reached the mile"stone" - yes, she's now 14lb! She still pretty much hugging the 25th centile line (where she's been since she was just a couple of weeks old) so obviously my milk is still enough for her.

On the subject of weaning, we've given her odd bits of things - a stick of celery, a slice of apple and a bit of banana - but nothing mega or regular. Now she's sitting pretty well we've ordered her a high chair (should arrive at the beginning of next week) and then we'll start thinking about doing the weaning thing properly. She's certainly taking an interest in us eating and is grasping things, putting them in her mouth and chewing, so she's getting to the stage where proper food is a goer.

We're going to go for baby-led weaning. The NCT breast-feeding counsellor first told us about it, and from what we've read on the internet, (there's plenty more info if you type "baby led weaning" into google) it seems to make sense and is a lot easier than faffing with puréeing and mushing, which I really can't be bothered with! We've talked to a few people who've done it, and no-one seems to have had a problem, as long as you're prepared for changes in milk demand depending on how much the baby's eaten - but as Imogen is feeding on demand now anyway, that should be OK.

Hurray for Holidays!

OK, so we've been back nearly a week now, but I just haven't got round to writing this blog before now.

Our summer holiday this year (and probably the next few years as well) was SAGGA camp - a load of like-minded families, doing service work on a Scout/Guide site and getting out and about it the area. This year was a site in Kent, just inside the M25, with work projects including building a toilet block and renovating a hut.

So, 11 days under canvas, was Imogen's first proper holiday. And she loved it - good job really as she's going to have to do it again! All the fresh air, and new things to watch, meant she slept well - day and night - and she came back with a rosy glow to her cheeks and nose. She charmed everyone with her smiles, and made lots of new friends, including Harry (who beat her to the accolade of youngest camper!) and some Nigerian Guides who'd been to an international camp nearby (Imogen's first international Scouting experience).

The weather was mixed - rain, wind, sun, but no snow! In fact, it was the wind that bothered me, and Imogen, the most. The noise in the tent had the habit of disturbing her sleep, whereas I just couldn't get to sleep for worrying about the tent ripping or falling down around us. Thankfully, our tent held up to the elements, unlike others, and we managed to get it home dry (having slept in a building on the last night). Imogen had her own tent too - no, not over night, but we did buy her a little sun shelter which got some use on the nicer weather days!

Dave managed to do a fair amount of work around the site - sometimes a bit too much for my liking, as I felt frustrated by not being able to do as much as I have done in previous years, and a bit left out and lonely at times. But, I did manage to get some work done, between Imogen's feeds. In fact, one morning she came down into the woods with me and some of the other kids to clear an area for the "trim trail" - one lad said she was our official supporter on the project!

On one day out we decided to go to a local farm type thing - a lovely place that was run by a charity providing housing and jobs for disabled adults. There were walk-through areas to see some of the animals, so I strapped Imogen into the sling and took her to have a look. And she seemed to think the animals were quite interesting; she certainly didn't seem scared or bothered by them. In fact, at one point she put a hand out to touch a sheep, and seemed very curious about the goats that were nibbling at my trousers.

Another first for Imogen was geocaching. Dave and I used to do quite a lot when we went away anywhere - it's a great way of finding places that you wouldn't normally see - but haven't done any for a while. But one afternoon a car treasure hunt was set up, taking us very close to caches in the area. We really need to get back into it, because our caching eyes and brains are out of practice, but we did find one, grabbing a narrowboat TB to continue on it's journey.

It wasn't just Imogen who managed a "first"; I also managed to get out for an evening to a local pub, leaving her with Dave to cope if she woke up (which she didn't!). I've been feeling torn for a bit now, wanting to go out, but not wanting to leave Imogen. I've done it during the day to go to Tesco or something, but somehow it's different going out for an evening socially. But she was doing so well sleeping, I took the chance and enjoyed a couple of drinks out.

Over the last few weeks - no doubt helped by our time at camp - Imogen has changed and developed loads. She has always been quite a happy little smiler, but seems more so now - very sociable. She's rolling well, sitting pretty good with support, and is starting to put feet down to try and stand. She grabs anything that she can get her hands on (we're in the process of Imogen-proofing our lounge!) and puts most of it in her mouth. She's very nosey and takes in everything that's going on around her and is obviously learning new things all the time. It's great to see, and she's constantly amazing and amusing us with her new tricks!

Last night

Well, last night didn't go too badly at all. Imogen was really tired - maybe all that fresh air at the BBQ tired her out - and went down really well. She woke just after 11pm, and at that point my heart dropped and I thought we'd be in for a bad night. But that was it until 6.30 this morning, when Dave found her upside down in her cot (head at the bottom, feet at the top!)

So, that's it. Her first night in her own room went well, and she's made another move on the growing-up move! And I had a nice night's sleep as well!

Dave had the best night's sleep of all of us - he didn't even know that I'd got up to her at all. I just hope he doesn't sleep through every night, especially the bad ones!

Baby BBQ

No, we didn't get so stressed with Imogen that we burnt her on a kebab stick - we spent a lovely afternoon with some friends from Baby Group, out in the garden enjoying a BBQ and baby chatter. Unfortunately not everyone could get there, but there were three families - Jen, Andy & Ollie (on the left); Nic, Rob & Ollie (on the right); and us. It was Nic & Rob's idea for us to get together with Dads as well (so they don't feel left out, and know who we're talking about!) so we pootled round to their house. The kids were all pretty well-behaved, and we sort-of managed a photo to mark the occasion! It was good to put faces to those blokes that we've been talking about for weeks, and hopefully Dave will look less clueless when I'm talking about people now!

Sleeping

I've been resisting it for a while, but we've finally taken the plunge and Imogen is spending tonight in her own room. I just got too fed up of her chuntering and wriggling in her sleep. She's does this weird thing of raising her legs to right angles above her, and then letting them drop onto the mattress with a thud - not once, but several times in a row. And when I've fed her during the night, sometimes she doesn't go back to sleep straight away - she'll be quite happy (not all the time!) just to lie in her cot until she drops off, but her chatter with Mr Cow just gets a bit much!

We were going to wait until we come back from SAGGA camp - sleep will no doubt be a mess anyway - but I just couldn't do another night. I think Dave has been hoping for a while I'd give in - it's just one step on the road to her growing up and I want her to be my baby for ever!

And for her next trick...

Imogen will put foot in mouth (yummy, yummy!) then laugh manically when Mummy struggles to put nappy on!

Books to read

Having got upset when I picked up a book of someone else's bookshelf and panicked when we weren't doing the exact routine that it prescribed (Dave soon banned me from reading it any further) I'm reluctant to recommend any parenting books. But, these two books have been lovely, don't dictate anything but instead offer support with a balanced & healthy outlook on life.

"What Mothers Do..." was given to me by a friend when Imogen was born and, having found it a great read, it's now being passed among other Mums I've met. It's written by a woman who runs discussion groups for mothers, and also does counselling, and gives a realistic and reassuring viewpoint. When someone said to me that "babies are great for wasting time", I could have got really upset, but from my instincts and having read this book, I knew that it just isn't true (and in fact I just laughed!). I found myself agreeing with, and relating to, quotes in the book from Mums and the commentary alongside just seemed to make sense; it made me feel better about "doing nothing" - especially in the very early days.

"What Every Parent Needs to Know..." was recommended to me by my yoga teacher, as a book that gives information about caring for your child without dictating or prescribing some fantasy routine that never works. This is the paper-back version - the hard-back version is called "The Science of Parenting", and is perhaps a more informative title; it's a look at the evidence on how nurture, love and play affects a child as they grow up, and later into adulthood. Although it's got a scientific basis to it, it's not difficult reading, and gives some great information on the development of the brain and how hormones and chemicals in the body work together - either for good or bad. But, although it gives the evidence, it doesn't use this to dictate what you should do - it just gives you the information so you can make you own mind up about things. A case in point is sleeping - it gives details on co-sleeping and children sleeping in their own bed, with no "right or wrong", just information for and against each. A lot of the methods it suggests seem very natural and common-sense, but it's good to know that nature does the right thing!

(BTW I don't necessarily recommend Amazon for buying these, or any other books - it was just an easy way of putting a link so anyone can have a closer look at the books if they want)

Sleep positions

I think we've see the last of Imogen sleeping like a baby - on her back, arms up at the sides of her head. She's been wriggling for a few weeks now, kicking off the cover blanket & pulling on the bottom sheet. But last night she didn't want to be on her back at all - each time I put her down (at bedtime and again after feeds at 12.30 & 4.00) she wriggled over, got her bottom hand free, stuck her thump in and went to sleep on her front. Very cute!

Update - it's been a while

The last two weeks have been hard, with the routine we'd got into going out of the window and illness all round.

We went away with my family to a caravan over on the coast for a long weekend - a nice time, but hard work, with Imogen being put in unfamiliar circumstances and with big cousins to play with! I'm not at all blaming Molly & Charlie - they're great with her - but with constant attention from them and the rest of the family, Imogen just didn't want to sleep! And the thin walls in the caravan didn't help - she'd just get to sleep and then some noise would wake her again.

And since then, things have just been all over the place. Sometimes she'll go to sleep quite well - even settling herself if we're having a really good time! - but then at other times there seems to be nothing we can do. Several times she's woken in the night and it's been two hours before she's gone back to sleep, and at times we've also had her in bed with us.

We don't have a problem with co-sleeping - in fact, I don't know what all the fuss is about when it's something that it such a natural thing - but our bed just isn't really big enough! If we had a bigger bed, we'd probably be co-sleeping all the time, but as it is, it's not something that we can do regularly because I don't always feel as though I've slept properly. But when it's a choice of sitting in the nursery with her, but being so tired that I'm at risk of falling asleep with her there - far more dangerous - or her coming and snuggling with us, then there's not really a dilemma.

It's a bit of a mystery why Imogen is being so unsettled - maybe we're just expecting too much of her when she's only 4 months old. I can understand her waking if she's hungry or has a horrible bum, but it's when that's all sorted and she won't settle back, that things start getting to me. Lots of people have given us lots of well-meaning advice, but it's just hard to know what is right for us. "Teach her to have a routine during the day", "Maybe she should be in her own room", "Is she hungry?", "Is she too hot?"

llnesses probably haven't helped. She had a horrible snotty cold a while back, which led to conjunctivitis when we were at the caravan. She's all over that now, but I caught the conjunctivitis from her. Added to that, I've been constipated and vomited one day last week, and yesterday I had a migraine. I don't know whether I'm just tired which is why I seem to be suffering, or whether part of it is hormonal changes (my hair is falling out as well, which other people have said happens around the time that periods start again - hurrah!)

Rolling & Routine

In the last week or so, Imogen has started to roll on to her side. She's done it half-heartedly before, but now it's very definite - rolling over to reach something, whether that be a toy or my boob for milk! The other night she rolled on to her side in her crib and when Dave & I went to bed, she was asleep on her side, thumb in and cuddling a muslin! She hasn't yet made it onto her front, but I guess it's only a matter of time.

The other thing that has happened in the last few days is (what seems to be) a better routine to our day. I've not really ever pushed her into a routine, preferring just to go with the flow and see what happens. But in the last few days, she seems to have wanted a routine herself (or at least a more regular sleep pattern). I don't know whether she's always wanted it and I haven't been picking up on the clues, or whether it's only just dawned on her that sleep during the day makes life better for everyone. She been wanting a half-hour sleep mid-morning (about 9-10am), and then another one at about midday, with a longer sleep (about two hours) during the afternoon.

She's been a lot happier between these sleeps, especially late afternoon when she used to be really crabby. And the bedtime routine seems to be getting better as well - in fact last night, she had a bath, fed, had a bedtime bible story and then went to sleep, all by 7pm!

She's been a bit better about going to sleep as well. She doesn't seem to be going to sleep on the boob, but now will sleep when cuddled. She puts up a bit of a fight, between sucks of the thumb, but does go a lot better than she used to. I do try and put her in the cot for a time as well, as sometimes she does put herself to sleep, but if she needs cuddling, then that's OK by me.

I don't know whether this new routine will continue, but for now I'm enjoying it. I'm able to get more bits done around the house and last night's 11 hours of sleep was certainly good!

Photos from last weekend

I've finally found time to sort out some photos to upload. Thanks to Gramps & Aunty Wendy for supplying them - if anyone else has got any we'd love to have copies.

My Water Baby

Imogen and I have started swimming lessons. I've been wanting to take her for a while, and we decided to pay a bit more, and go to lessons with Water Babies. We've been a couple of time so far, and it's been great. Imogen didn't smile and laugh, but she didn't cry, so I guess that means it's just a bit different for her and she needs time and practice to get used to it.

The classes are really small - just 7 babies - and take place in a hydrotherapy pool, so the water it lovely and warm. Double layers of nappies ensure no accidents and contamination! We've also bought her a little baby wet suit, so when we go on holiday etc, we can take her to "normal" pools and she won't get too cold. That also goes for during the school holidays 'cos the lessons don't run then :(

It's all about building confidence - both mine and hers - and using a baby's natural gag reflex to "teach" them to hold their breath under water. She's been for a couple of underwater adventures already, using the cue "Imogen, ready, go!" We can practice in the bath at home too, using the same cue before pouring water on her face. Not surprisingly, there's a lot of use of songs as well, so if you hear me singing Humpty Dumpty at a swimming pool near you, don't laugh too hard!

Blowing bogey bubbles!

Imogen has her second bug. She had her second lot of jabs last week, but I don't think that's got anything to do with it really - I blame big cousin Molly who had a cold when we were camping last week!

She was a bit difficult to settle last night, and then woke at about 2.30 this morning sounding really snuffly. After some milk and a dose of paracetamol she settled back down OK (more than I did!) and did sleep through until nearly 8 o'clock. But pretty much all of today she's been snuffly, sleepy and clingy. There's no cough like last time - it's all just snot and bogeys this time! And feeding seems to have been taking ages 'cos she can't breathe properly.

I've been to the pharmacy and got some saline nasal drops on the local Minor Ailment scheme (if you get free prescriptions you can go direct to the pharmacy and get certain things free there instead of going to the GP) which should hopefully help the feeding. I also bought some Karvol capsules to use over night (I fondly remember the smell from when I was little).

Fingers crossed she sleeps OK tonight.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5)

Yesterday Imogen was baptised. It was important for us that we made the public declaration of our commitment to her, and that she received the outward sign of the inward faith that we hope and pray that she will find.

Choosing Godparents was a difficult decision, balancing different qualities from different people, to give Imogen the best that we could. In the end we decided on four people - Wendy (Dave's sister), Tilly (Charlotte's Goddaughter), Hugh (an old friend of Charlotte's) and Mark (a friend from the village). We hope and pray that the decision was the right one and that they play a full role in Imogen's life and help to bring her to faith.


We know that the final decision about her faith will be hers - however much we read the bible with her and pray and talk to her about God, if she does not accept the gospel that is her choice.



Anyway, onto the baptism. It was a lovely day. So many friends and family joined us, and it was great to see everyone and share the day with them. We chose our 6th wedding anniversary for her baptism, which made it extra special.

Having family christening gowns on both sides of the family, we decided not to upset anyone, so had a new one for Imogen. So (with a little persuasion and reassurance) my Mum used some material from my wedding dress to make a gorgeous dress and jacket for Imogen. She also did some needle lace, creating a lovely cross (designed by Dad) for the front of the jacket.

My major worry for the day was that Imogen would puke in the font! I've never seen it happen with any baby and don't know where I got the thought from, but it didn't happen anyway, so I needn't have worried. In fact, Imogen was a star all day, hardly protesting at anything (a bit of a pet lip as the water ran down her face, and a few tears and grumblings when she was tired or hungry) and gave lots of smiles and cuddles to whoever wanted them!

Everyone has said that it was a lovely day - how could a baptism not be?! - and we're glad that it all went smoothly. But it was just the start of her journey with God, and I hope that it continues throughout her life.

Lovely sleep!

For the past week or so, Imogen's sleeping has been great! Evenings have sometimes seemed to be one long feeding frenzy, but once she's down she's slept through to 4-5am. And for the last couple of nights the evenings have been better - she's been asleep about 1 1/2 hrs after the start of the bath/bed-time routine - and then she's slept through until 6am. Dave's then got up, changed her nappy and brought her to bed so I can feed her there and get a couple of hours more sleep. Bliss!

I don't know what we've done to get her into this, although she's more reliable in getting thumb to mouth for sucking (as shown in the photo) and we've locked the crib as she was rocking herself to the side and getting tangled up in the bars. But to be honest, I don't really mind that we don't know what we've done. All I mind is that she's happy and content, which she obviously is. Long may it continue!!

Proper camping

Although we've been with Imogen to a couple of different campsites with SAGGA, we'd so far avoided sleeping under canvas, as it was just a bit cold. But that changed this weekend. It was our Scout group's annual family camp, so this family joined the fun!

The weather wasn't great for the first half of the weekend and she didn't sleep particularly well on Friday night - I was up with her twice, and both times her little hands and nose were freezing! But after a _lot_ of rain on Saturday the cloudy skies meant that the second night was warmer and we had a fantastic night's sleep (once we'd walked her in the buggy round quieter areas to persuade her to go to sleep in the first place) with her sleeping through until 6am. The other leaders couldn't believe it when I was there cooking breakfast - I don't normally do mornings!!

Molly and I did some crafts and made sure Imogen has a souvenir of her first camp - a painted fish suncatcher. Other than that, Imogen seemed to enjoy watching the trees blowing and dropping Mr Cow in the mud! She got bits of leaves in her nappy when the wind blew at the wrong time, and didn't seem to mind the greenfly and money spiders crawling on her.

So that's it, there's no stopping us now. SAGGA summer camp here we come! And then in September, were hoping to go away on the boat, which will be another milestone in her little life.

Toys are great!

It's lovely to see Imogen taking more interest in the world around her. And toys are the best!

She loves just looking at things, so we bought her a play arch off ebay (for a bargain price of £9.50!) which she spends ages under, now also trying to hit and grab the dangly toys. I bought a chime with a nice ring to it as well, so at least it doesn't get too annoying.

The Freddy Frog bath book was mine when I was little, and I can still remember the story word for word - how sad is that?! She's now in the big bath, having outgrown the baby bath, and loves splashing and "swimming" . We haven't got many bath toys at the moment, so we're going to have to go shopping soon.

Mr Cow (on the right of the second picture) is a current favourite. It's lovely and soft, and she is getting much better at grasping it. Her eyes light up when she's shown it, and she loves it when he moves about and his head rattles. His ears, horns and hands are also great for sucking on!

BTW I've added more photos to the web album, so you might want to check it out again.

Post natal yoga & baby massage

Today Imogen and I went to a post natal yoga & baby massage class. It's run by Olivia (who ran the maternity yoga class I went to) and Lesley Lister (who does the massage bit). It was only a small class, with just three mums and babies, which was nice. Massage first, which Imogen really liked; it was legs and feet today. Then, after herbal tea and chocolate biscuits, time for yoga. I was a bit worried that Imogen wouldn't let me do anything, but she seemed quite happy to lie on the floor and chatter away to herself or Olivia. Different moves to the maternity yoga - which makes sense when I think about it - which are focussed on pelvis and stomach as well as relaxing shoulders and back.

Shame Imogen's been a bit of a nightmare since we got home; she slept in the car on the way back, but woke when we got home. Since then she's been trying to convince me that she's hungry (although when I've fed her she got uncomfortable and then brought it all back) but I know she's just tired. So much for me getting the lounge cleared today!

BTW last night's sleep was fantastic - 8pm til 5.30am, with a good feed and then more sleep until 8.30am. I hoping we can have the same again tonight, but based on previous inconsistencies, I'm not holding my breath

I was being too hopeful!

Last night was awful. I couldn't bring myself to go to bed when Imogen went down at 7.30 - just too early (although now I wish I had). So, at 9.30 I decided I'd go to bed - at 10 o'clock, just as I was drifting off, she woke up. And that was it for the night. She didn't sleep for more than an hour at any one time :(

Bless her, she did try and suck her fingers at times, but with her arm through the bars on the side of the crib it wasn't easy. Don't know why she kept waking up though - it's a mystery that we just couldn't work out. Bum was clean, tummy was full, not too hot, not too cold. The only thing that's possible is tummy ache from wind (she does do quite a lot of farting), but if I try and wind her after feeding most times nothing happens.

Any ideas?

Is this a turning point?

For a while now we've thought that Imogen would eventually find thumb or fingers. Occasionally we've managed to edge her thumb in, which she then sucked. For a few days she's been putting fist in mouth and sucking on it when she's tired, but today fingers went in - definitely not by accident and not just once! (Takes after her Mummy!!!) The first time I'd put her in the cot while I hung some washing out, and came back in to find her a bit unsettled, but calming herself with her fingers; since then they've been in quite a bit. And I've just put her down for the night - as I did she stirred which would usually mean her waking and crying, but tonight fingers went in and she soothed herself to sleep. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a sign of a good night tonight - and that we've reached a turning point when she may be quite happy to be left sometimes. Or am I being too hopeful?!

Campfire songs are great!

Imogen was in a really grumpy mood after her bath tonight - didn't want to feed, didn't want to sleep, didn't want a cuddle... So I sang her campfire songs and she calmed down! A true Scout!!

Every day brings something new!

Imogen is changing and developing all the time and it's amazing to see what's new each day. She's been smiling since she was about 3 weeks old, but now she'll smile spontaneously, rather than just in response to someone else's. Her head control is improving, and she quite likes her "tummy time" - as long as there's something interesting to look at. She's recently found her hands - it started with her spending time just staring at them, but she's now trying to use them for bashing her toys on the play arch and in the pushchair, and can now reliably put fist in mouth to suck on (but there's still work to do on straigtening thumb/finger). She's been watching us move round the room for a couple of weeks, and now doesn't always like being left in a room - she thinks you're never going to come back. In fact Dave had fun hiding behind the wardrobe door (when she cried) then popping out again (when she smiled)! Imogen is certainly an inquisative little girl and doesn't like to think she's missing anything - she's started wanting to be sat up a bit in the pushchair so she can see what's happening, although it tires her quickly.

It's fantastic spending time with Imogen and watching her changing every day.

First jabs

Yesterday Imogen had her first jabs. She was due to have them last week, but we decided to delay them when she wasn't very well. It wasn't too traumatic - I fed her while the nurse stabbed her, and after the initial scream she decided that milk was far more interesting than crying! (Thanks to the midwife for suggesting I fed her when she had the Guthrie test when she was tiny - it worked then, so it was worth a try again.)
She wasn't too bad for the 24hrs after either - she slept quite a lot yesterday afternoon/evening and we gave her a couple of doses of paracetamol because she was hot, but that's all. Luckily it didn't seem to affect last night's sleep much either - just the one feed at 4am, but a bit unsettled after that.

Bugs are great!?!

Imogen's not been well for the past few days. It started at the end of last week with a bit of a cough - C took her to the dr last Friday when it sounded a bit chesty, but all was OK. Over the weekend, the congestion and cough got worse and Sunday & Monday nights were a nightmare - we didn't get more than 1 1/2 hrs sleep at any point and most of the time it was only 30 minutes. At one point on Tuesday night we were all in tears - Imogen because she felt rough and couldn't sleep, C because she was getting ratty and then felt guilty about it, and me because I just didn't know what to do! On Wednesday night, I went to bed early with the idea that if she couldn't/wouldn't sleep, I'd take her shopping to Tesco, but we got a few more hours sleep that night, so we've still got no food in the fridge!
Imogen was due her first vaccinations yesterday, so we put that off until next week, not wanting to add more hassle to this week. Dr Nicola visited yesterday and pointed out that 5 bugs in the first year gives a reduced chance of developing asthma and eczema, so at least she's on target for that!
She's been better today, and has enjoyed church Sunrise group and a taster session at Gymboree, but was really tired from all the excitement, so C gave her an early bath and she's now sleeping like a little angel - hopefully tonight will be a good one!

Poorly Imogen

At the moment, we've got a grumpy girl caused by congestion, cough, and general bleurghness! It started mid-week, but really picked up yesterday. A quick trip to the Dr reassured us that there's nothing on her chest, so it's just a case of lots of cuddles and sleep, and making sure she keeps feeding. She's too young for Karvol/Vicks or similar, but we've propped the head of her cot up and are doing a bit of baby massage to try to help. Lets hope the snotty nose clears in time for photographs at Sunrise group on Thursday.

Staying Away

It was inevitable really - Imogen's first night away from home was on a Scouting event. We'd been to our group's St George's Day camp the previous weekend, but only visited for the day. Then, over May Day BH weekend, NW SAGGA were at Giants Seat, so we decided to go over from Saturday until Sunday. All went well: she slept OK in the travel cot and didn't keep everyone awake; the camp chair was OK for breastfeeding; George told Imogen about the idiosyncrasies of SAGGA so she's prepared for summer camp; and she had a bath in a crate in true camp style! We did stay in a building, so she hasn't had a night in a tent yet, but it won't be long.

We'd promised we'd take Imogen to see Dave's Nana as soon as we could, so last week in all that hot weather, we travelled down to near Reading. The trip down was a bit of a nightmare - Imogen was too hot and thirsty, and screamed a lot of the way, as Chris Evans announced to the whole of the country on Radio 2. Again, Imogen slept OK, and didn't keep anyone at the B&B awake. Nana was thrilled to meet Imogen, and had a cuddle with a smiley baby. We took Nana out to lunch, where Imogen charmed the pub staff, before coming home again - the trip was OK.

To top off a busy 10 days, we headed north to my cousins 18th birthday. There were plenty of people who Imogen hadn't met, including Godmother Tilly, so plenty of cuddles all round. Imogen went spottily dressed for the whole weekend, not just the mandatory party bit and had a little dance at the disco, before finally going to sleep. Again, she slept quite well that night, and the journey home was fine too. We were all krackered after all that travelling, so it's nice to have the next couple of weeks with not much planned.

It's a busy life

Imogen and I like to get out and about every day. The fresh air and recent sunshine are good for both of us (although Imogen's not too keen on the heat that goes with the sunshine). We're slowly discovering the secret world of baby activities - there's so much going on that I didn't know about before becoming a Mummy.

Mondays is Sunshine Hour at church - singing, a bible story and activities, as well as the obligatory drink and biscuits. Imogen's too young for it really, although she enjoys the songs, but it gets us out of the house.

There's a choice of several baby or toddler groups on Tuesdays, but this week we found one that was really lovely. It's in Hillsborough, so quite close, and is just for babies (basically until they can move about themselves). This week there were quite a lot of first time Mums with babies of only a few weeks old, so it was good to chat with people in a similar situation to me. There were loads of lovely toys for Imogen, and everyone was so friendly - the chocolate bars helped too!

On a Thursday its the Sunrise group at church - this is for babies and toddlers, and is more a fellowship/friendship thing than a bible teaching thing. It's nice to go there because there's people we know from church, but also other people from the village, so hopefully we can make more friends.

Once a month the local libraries have "Babytime" which we went to a couple of weeks ago. I thought that Imogen may be too young for it, but everyone was really nice and Imogen enjoyed the singing bits, and since then we've been looking at books together - she likes ones with black and white pictures, bright colours, or shiny reflective bits.

That's the regular things at the moment, but there's other stuff happening soon too. We're hoping to go swimming when Imogen's had her first vaccination, although I'm still trying to work out where to go for that. We're booked on a postnatal yoga & baby massage course for 6 weeks starting in June - run by Olivia who I did the maternity yoga with when I was pregnant. Gymboree is something we're looking at as well - we're going to a free taster session for the baby class next week, so more about that later.

And between all that we have to find time for shopping, washing, hair cuts etc etc. It's all go, and I am tired, but I'm loving it (or most of it!)

Breast-feeding

I would never have thought that something so natural could be so difficult. Even now, with Imogen seven weeks old, we still have some feeds that we struggle with. It's been shear stubbornness on my part, together with fantastic support from Dave and NCT breast-feeding
counsellors, that means I'm still carrying on. Oh, and the thought of the faff of sterilising & making up formula! It would have been so easy to give up on several occasions.

The antibiotics I had for a uterine infection left me prone to thrush, and sure enough it happened. It's difficult to describe the pain associated with thrush in the milk ducts, but the best I can do is that it feels like someone is sticking pins behind the nipple after a feed. Not pleasant at all! Luckily the BF counsellor and my midwife gave me some really good information (also available on the Breast feeding \network website) about what treatment was needed. So, after taking antifungal capsules, using cream on my nipples and gel for Imogen's mouth, I managed to clear it. But only for about 10days - yes, it came back last week, so we're back on all that treatment. This time my breasts are itchy as well, which just adds to the fun! Luckily Imogen hasn't caught it, so we haven't had to struggle with her having a sore mouth or horrible nappy rash as well.

The main thing about breast-feeding, or at least the bit we've struggled with, is positioning. At first it all seemed to be going OK, and I don't really know when things started to become difficult, but it has mainly been on the left side where the problems have been. We tried loads of things - feeding in the bath (really lovely at the beginning when she was only little and I needed baths to relax me), feeding in bed (still lovely and a good choice when we're having a bad night or when we don't have to get out of the house too early in the morning, 'cos I get extra sleep!) and "rugby-balling" (which is the current position of choice but might become more difficult as she
grows bigger.

But breast-feeding is back to being lovely now, rather than the tearful struggle it has been at times, and I'm enjoying it. Before she was born, I thought I'd want to express so D could share some of the night-time duties, but at the moment I'm quite happy, and don't want to do anything that might bring another complication to it.

A long-overdue update

It's been so busy, that finding time for blogging is difficult, but I've finally found a bit of time, so here goes...
Imogen is doing really well. She's gaining weight and is now 9lb 9oz - it's not as rapid growth as Henry from NCT who's nearly doubled his birth weight already, but I love my little baby and don't want her to grow up!
She's developing her own little character now. Smiles came when she was about 3 weeks old, and now she won't even save them just for Mummy and Daddy - anyone who talks to her nicely gets one. She watches everything that goes on, and loves looking at picture books and brightly coloured toys. Mirrors and shiny surfaces are also a hit.
It's looking like she's going to be a morning girl - when she wakes up at 7-8am ish, she's a right little grump until we open the curtains and then she's all smiles, like she's saying that she just wants to be up and about getting on with the day.
People keep asking if we're in a routine yet, but I don't really think about it, other than getting her to bed. What happens during the day is very flexible and we just work it out as we go along. If we need to be somewhere I'll try and make sure she's fed before we go; if we don't have a target time then she gets fed when she asks. If she's awake, we play and talk etc; if she's tired she sleeps.
But I do like to know what's going on in the evening, so we're trying to get some routine into that. Feeding, then bath at about 7.30-8pm, then more feeding and cuddles until she's asleep, which is usually by about 9.30. Over night she usually goes about 4-5 hours before she first wakes up and then about 3 hours after that, so it's usually a couple of times that I'm up with her. Overnight feeds aren't usually too long and she settles well again after, so I'm normally only up with her for about 1/2 hour, which is good. And sometimes she's even happy to go back in the crib while she's still awake, and then put herself to sleep.
It looks like she might become a thumb sucker. She's always liked a finger (from Mummy or Daddy) to suck on when she's tired, and has recently managed to suck on her fist, but it's just not the same. Straightening her thumb is not natural at the moment, but on Saturday with a little help with that last little bit, she happily sucked and put herself to sleep. Hurrah! I know that some people would say "Give her a dummy to suck on" but I really don't like them.

Photographs

A slide show of photographs has now been added to the blog. They're photos of Imogen, a lot of them also with special people - Mummy, Daddy, grandparents, etc - and will be added to as she grows and develops. Keep watching!

Just the three of us

Sadly, Daisy lost her battle with illness on Friday. Her body had just had enough, and it wasn't fair for her. It was a peaceful end for her, and we'll always be grateful for the time we had with her - she was my original "baby".

The vets have been wonderful since her heart condition was diagnosed over a year ago. With their care and compassion, Daisy was able to fight the battle and in the words of one vet "everyone had got used to her being around forever". Several times we thought that we were going to lose her - in fact, last May we were told that she "may have a couple of weeks, but it's more likely she'll deteriorate over the weekend" - but her love of life kept her going.

But last week, things just got too much for her and we had to say our goodbyes. Thankfully, we had four weeks of my dream of human and doggy babies together - and we managed to get one photo which I'll always treasure.

Love you, Daisy x

Out and About

Imogen and I have been getting ourselves out and about this week. Dave has been doing some voluntary work at the Scout shop, so it's just been the two of us managing on our own. It's all been a bit random, with seemingly no routine (one day I didn't manage to get dressed until nearly lunchtime, but today we were out of the house just after 9am!), but at least we haven't spent the whole of every day at home. We've taken Daisy to the vet, been shopping at Tesco, walked round to see friends and been up to toddler group at church. I don't think we've done too badly; the next few days will probably be a bit quieter, but next week is getting booked up already!

She's official!

We went to the Register Office this morning, so Imogen now officially exists! When you think about it, it's a bit bizarre really. They didn't ask for any ID from either Dave or I, we didn't even both have to be there because we're married (although we didn't have to prove that either). Anyway, it's done now. Although £3.50 for a full copy of the certificate is a bit of a rip-off :- it's not even a nice
hand-written one, but merely one that was put through a bog standard printer.

First Two Weeks

Apologies for what is going to be a long post, before I've even wrote it.

What a roller-coaster!

Having to stay in hospital overnight was not really what we wanted, but necessary for both of us. Thankfully we were given a side room, so Dave could stay over night as well. Good job really - the inevitable tears came in the middle of the night and I don't think some stranger of a midwife offering support would have been the same.

When we did eventually leave the hospital, we were only about 5 minutes down the road when I felt the start of a migraine. My parents were going to come that day anyway, and picked up a key from friends in the village. They arrived before we did, which was lucky as Daisy had left a big smelly present for us. They had started to clear this up, as well as sort out the pool before we got home, so at least we didn't have to think about them.

Apart from that, the first few days went OK. The "Day Three tears" didn't really attack with any vengeance, they just seem to have been drip-feeding since then! It was around day 4 that we began to get into any sort of a routine, after suggestions from the MW. The idea was for me & Imogen to relax in the bath then have a good feed in bed in the hope that we would then get a few hours sleep before the next feed. This seemed to work for several days, and we do still try and do this, however, sometimes, other things seem to take over.

Not surprisingly, there has been plenty of visitors. It has been nice to see people, but sometimes it's just been a bit much, and we've wanted to say "enough now", but haven't felt able to (too polite for our own good sometimes! ;-). It's been mainly family so far, although 2-3 friends from the village have called round too. Today has been the first day since Imogen was born that we haven't got a big pile of cards falling through the letterbox, accompanied by the occasional
parcel. Everyone has been so kind with their cards and gifts, Thank you.

Imogen has generally been a little star - yes, she likes the cuddles, especially from Mummy; yes, she can be a mardy bum when she's hungry, or needs her nappy changing, but at least seems to behave when she's on show! A trip to Meadowhall at 4 days with only Daddy, a couple of church services, and a couple of lunches out have all been undertaken with no mega crises. Her weight has now picked up after the initial drop-off, and poos/wees are all signs that she's getting enough into her.

Shame I'm not doing quite so well. The ragged membranes at birth were an indication of things to come. A week later, doubled up in agony at 2am on Sat morning, we were back at the maternity hospital - diagnosis was a uterine infection, but the required scan couldn't be done at the weekend. To cut a long story short, the scan on Monday showed 'possible retained products' and as things had settled down with antibiotics, no trip to theatre for a D&C was needed - a relief in itself, but it would have been nice not to have been starved for 11 hours (not even a drink!) and if the Dr had had any bedside manner.

Having got all that sorted, I've now moved on to thrush in my breasts - very painful after feeding as if someone is sticking pins behind the nipple (luverly!). We have been to the GP today, so hopefully things will improve in the next couple of days. Until then, feeding will no doubt be a struggle, and Dave will get woken in the middle of the night for moral support (even if he did sleep through parts of it last night!)

We are now discharged from the MW (still have her phone no just in case), but have yet to get the red book from the health visitor. We have an appointment for the 8week check and jabs, but we are supposed to get a visit at 4-6 weeks, so we'll have to wait and see!

The last 2 weeks seem to have flown by, but at the same time, it feels like we've never been without our pooing, puking, screaming bundle of joy! In the middle of the night when it feels like it's never going to get to morning and I can't think straight, at least I know I love her - I guess that this is the most important thing.

Birth story

The combination of sweeps (on Monday and Friday), homeopathy from Monday, and acupuncture on Friday, finally got labour going. In hindsight, perhaps it was a bit too much stimulation, resulting in a rapid intense labour.

On Friday afternoon I wasn't really able to get my afternoon nap because the contractions seemed to be stronger than the Braxton Hicks I'd been having for several weeks. Over the next couple of hours contractions were pretty regular, but were only about 5-7 minutes apart and very manageable. Dave decided to cook some tea, and while he was doing that I decided I wanted a bath - so tea was eaten in the salubrious surroundings of the bathroom! When I got out of the bath, on went the tens machine and Dave decided to start inflating the pool.

At about 8pm we decided to phone Wendy to let her know what was happening (Dawn had been in a car accident after she'd visited me that morning, so we'd been told it would be Wendy rather than Dawn if anything happened over the weekend). At that stage things were still very manageable, and I was able to talk through contractions - kneeling on all fours on the sofa and hip swinging, with a boost from the tens, were all that was needed.

Wendy phoned us back again at 9.30pm to see how things were going before she retired for the night (Ha ha!). By now I was having to concentrate more on the contractions, using the ribbon breathing and still hip swinging, but didn't feel that things were strong enough for Wendy to come out just yet, but perhaps in another hour I would. By 10.30pm when I next spoke to Wendy, the contractions were more intense and I asked her to come out. She went via the Jessops to pick up the gas and air, and arrived just after 11:00pm. Contractions were now about every 3mins and I was really having to concentrate and disappear into my own little world. Between contractions things were fine.

Not long after Wendy arrived my waters broke. The fore-waters were clearish, but when Wendy did an examination, there was meconium in the hind waters. Although I wasn't in established labour yet, we knew this meant we'd have to transfer to Jessops. I was surprisingly calm about
it - yes, disappointed and upset, but I knew in my heart what was the right thing for the baby. Dave emptied the pool (over the lounge wall when the pipe popped off the pump!) while Wendy sorted me out. We decided we didn't need an ambulance as I wasn't using the gas and air
yet. Thankfully, Wendy was happy to come in with us and stay, at least until we'd got settled.

By the time we got to hospital, and settled in the room, at about 1am, I was 4cm dilated, and things were really started to hot up. I was still using the TENS and hip swinging/circling while leaning over the bed, but Wendy suggested I try entonox - one of the best suggestions she made! From here, things are a bit of a confused jumble - probably the effects of an intense labour and the entonox!

I don't think I was the calmest of labouring women. Although hip moving, TENS and entonox helped, I still needed to take my anger/frustrations out on a beanbag pillow and Wendy says she hasn't been sworn at like that for years! My feelings towards Dave swung between "I hate you" and "I love you". Having said that, I knew that both Dave & Wendy were 100% supportive of me and that I could trust them to make decisions, as I wasn't really in a fit state to. For instance I can remember saying that I couldn't do it any longer, but they knew that I really wouldn't have wanted an epidural, and encouraged me through the worst parts.

Once I was in established labour 1st stage was 1hr55, and 2nd stage 54min after that. I don't remember being frightened or scared at any time, and certainly during second stage my body took over and there was not much I could do about anything.

At some point, Dave and Wendy helped me from the floor up onto the bed, so I was leaning over the head bit which had been raised - Dave said I asked why I hadn't done it earlier! (While I had been on the floor I'd thought I'd been quite comfy, but knees had been slipping and I think Dave had found it difficult to support me.) On the bed, I kept moving across towards Dave - and away from Wendy - I'd evidently nearly fallen off at least once, and I do remember Wendy telling me
that I'd have to move back towards her even if I didn't like her!

When it came to second stage, although I said my body took over, it was still hard work and I can remember being relieved when Wendy asked Dave to press the button to call for a second midwife, as I knew it wouldn't be too much longer. For several contractions I was aware that
Wendy was encouraging me to keep pushing, as the baby's head kept going back to where it had been, rather than not quite so far (if that makes sense). This certainly spurred me into action, as I knew I didn't want ventouse/forceps (although Dave says there was never any indication from Wendy to him that this might have to happen). They also took the entonox off me (not a popular decision with me, but it helped as I was far more aware and able to co-operate!) Things still
didn't quite move as we wanted, so Wendy suggested another change of position - this time onto my back. Although this was against what is usually recommended it seemed to do the trick and it was only another 3/4 contractions before she was born. Evidently Wendy was telling me to slow down towards the end, but I don't remember that at all - and I didn't take much notice, so unfortunately I tore fairly badly.

Imogen's cord was short, so was cut once it had stopped pulsing, but I still delivered the placenta naturally (21min). The membranes were ragged, and I lost a fair amount of blood, so still ended up with Syntocinon, as Wendy was worried about how things were. As it turns out I lost more blood once I'd got to the ward, my blood pressure dropped, and I ended up on a drip for a few hours to try to contract the uterus more, and a course of antibiotics because of a risk of infection with retained products.

Imogen had skin to skin contact with me for 1 1/2 hours, which was lovely. Unfortunately, she turned blue and went floppy with her first feed (just under an hour after she was born) and needed oxygen and suction, which was scary for Dave and I. Even if I'd been OK, this meant we had to stay in hospital for 24 hours to allow monitoring of her. The worry was that she'd inhaled meconium, but when the paediatrician saw her later and heard her screaming it was clear her lungs were fine!

I'll just finish by saying that, although it wasn't the home water birth we'd been hoping for, I'm still happy with everything and understand that things didn't happen because of anything I did wrong. Wendy and Dawn have been great over the last few weeks, and I think that having healthcare professionals on your side helps an awful lot - you can focus on the important things, rather than having to battle with them.

Baby News

Imogen Kate Pinney finally made her appearance at 3:49am on Sat 22nd March weighing 8lb 8oz (3.8kg) after a very fast labour. It wasn't the home birth we had been hoping for, but still a natural birth with a fantastic result.

We are both doing OK now at home, after some initial problems, and a night in hospital

More details and some photos soon, when we get chance!

Todays escapades

First thing today the midwife came to visit for a scheduled check and do another sweep. She managed to a sweep, and said that the cervix was shortened and just over 1cm dilated. She managed to feel the baby's skull and a 'fontinelle' (sp?) - the soft squishy bit of a baby's skull - but couldn't work out which one before she moved, so couldn't work out which way the head was facing. The back is still in the right position, so that's OK. Before and after the examination, Bubble's heart rate was elevated (160-180bpm) so the midwife said that we should go to the hospital for a CTG (continuous measurement over ~30 mins) to check it out over a longer time-scale than she can do with her machine at home. She advised that we take a bag, since if there turned out to be a problem, they would want to keep C in - either to closely monitor her & Bubble, or to deliver baby ASAP, by C-section if req'd.

When we got to the hospital, we got a nice surprise in the way of free parking, courtesy of STH in their multi-storey, so we didn't have to scratch about for change! The midwife had phoned ahead, so they knew to expect us, and soon after we arrived, C was hooked up to a machine that goes boing and it started to record Bubble's heart rate, which appeared to have settled down since Dawn examined her. The midwife there said everything was OK, and let us go again.

After that faff, we grabbed a sandwich & drink from Starbucks, just down the road from the hospital before going for her acupuncture appointment. That was a bit 'hand-wavy' and odd for me, but C says it was fine. The needles were in for about 45 mins, and the acupuncturist kept "twiddling" the needles every 5 mins to 're-stimulate' them to encourage things to get moving. Nothing has happened yet, although the tightenings are gradually becoming stronger, but are still miles apart at the time of writing!

Things are moving in the right direction at the moment, so lets just hope & pray that they continue that way.