Baby Scoggins

Snow!

2007-02-08T11:26:00.000Z

We woke up this morning to find a nice covering of snow outside, and it was still falling! Sam was quite confused by all this fluffy stuff falling out of the sky.

We went out to play in it for a bit before setting off for work/nursery, and Mummy took some photos.

The big white blob is a close-up snowflake!

Sam helpfully brushing the snow off our bamboo

Happy Birthday Sam!

2007-01-22T21:55:00.000Z

Sam turned one on Saturday! Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, etc....

We gathered the clans for lunch at a tapas bar in London, and Sam was ever so excited to see everyone. He got a lot more presents, and was a good as gold all day, despite having just got over a bout of the Dreaded Lurgy last week (which he has since passed on to his Mummy, the poor thing).

On Hungerford Bridge on the way to the restaurant

Opening cards and pressies

Tucking in

Cake!!

Nearly 1 !!

2007-01-12T21:26:00.000Z

After visiting the family over Christmas, we spent a week in Devon over New Year with a group of friends, which was fun. With two other babies, a toddler and a pair of eight year old twins in the house, Sam was not short of people to play with, and thoroughly enjoyed himself! Unfortunately the weather wasn't too great, but we did get a few walks in (using our backpack for the first time) and visited a local zoo.

Sam is just cutting his eye teeth it seems, although they aren't completely through yet. He's dribbling lots, but he isn't complaining too much (famous last words!). He's still not crawling, but has decided that it's easier to get about by shuffling around on his bum, which is hilarious to watch (especially on our wooden floors at home!). He can definitely shift when he wants too - the other day we turned our backs for just a few seconds and he was across the floor, had both his hands in a plant pot, and was eating the compost! Ah well, it's extra fibre in his diet I suppose!

More pix from our trip to Devon...

With Mummy on Croyde beach

(note new snowsuit, which was definity required!)

In the thick of it

Transfixed by the otters being fed, Exmoor Zoo

Little Bear

Walking on Baggy Point, near Croyde
(Sam is, of course, working the controls)

Sea front, Lynmouth

Mischief personified

First Christmas

2007-01-12T21:02:00.000Z

Again, it's been an absolute age since any report on Sam's blog, but to bring you up to date:

We were all a bit poorly in December, but recovered in time for Sam to really enjoy his first Christmas and New Year. He wasn't too sure what was going on, but definitely appreciated all the presents! He's now got more toys than he knows what to do with, and his 1st birthday is looming as well! Lucky boy.

Anyway, some photos of him at Christmas...

Playing with his first present on Xmas morning

Playing with cousin Reuben at Grandpa and Granny Scoggins' house

Boxing Day pressies at Granny Carrington's house

"I'm going to be this tall soon!" (with cousin Ben)

More photos

2006-10-13T14:54:00.000Z

Some more photos of Sam, who is now nearly nine months old! These were taken a couple of weeks ago.

Sam dressed in his new Mickey Mouse outfit ready for Disney Day at his nursery.

Extreme close up! Look at those gnashers!

Family walk in Bushy Park on a fabulous October day.

Sam's first ride on Daddy's shoulders!

Pictures at last

2006-09-01T21:09:00.000Z

Now we are up and running with broadband at home, and I have managed to find both my camera and the USB lead, here are a few recent photos of Sam...

Grinning at Grandad, the Bad Influence...

Enjoying the baby bouncer...

What do they put in this stuff?

Dear Mummy & Daddy...

2006-09-01T21:06:00.000Z

An extract from Sam's daily nursery record book. Clearly the nursery staff are a little touched, but then who wouldn't be, working with babies all day:

Dear Mummy & Daddy,

I was back in the conservatory today, so I wasn’t able to listen to Nadia singing! But I had a fantastic time though. I started off doing some coloured pencil scribbling, there was a large sheet of paper on the floor and I was helped by Sharon to hold the pencil properly. I did try but it was a little difficult! But I made lots of lines on the paper and had fun. Then I was put in a highchair, so I thought it must be lunchtime, but no, I had an old yoghurt pot with some cotton wool put in front of me, and some strange brown ‘bits’ in my hand. I was then encouraged to put these little ‘bits’ into the yoghurt pot. I think Sharon said we were growing something, so perhaps in about a week or so you and I will find out what!!!

I also enjoyed wriggling about in shredded paper and Clara even put some on my head, which looked like curly hair. Not too sure if I will suit curly hair when it grows more, so only time will tell if it is! I have also enjoyed being with my friends, watching me as I sat amongst the rattles and soft toys, making lots of gurgley noises. I have been laughing out loud as well, I’m not too sure at what, but I have been in a very happy mood today. Then Sarah got the bubbles out and found a very easy way of getting lots to blow about – put the wand in front of the air conditioner. Wow! I’ve never seen so many bubbles all at once. Then I had a little snooze so I could recharge myself ready for some more fun. I have had such a busy fun-filled day. Sharon also gave me lots of cuddles and made me laugh and smile by jumping about in front of me. I really enjoy my days at nursery, can’t wait until I’m on the move so I can do lots more things by myself.

Lots of love,
Sam xx

Teef!

2006-09-01T14:16:00.000Z

Sam has just cut his first two teeth! I'd like to say that we noticed it, but it was the girls at the nursery who spotted it first and let us know. He managed it with very little fuss so far, although he has been dribbling quite a lot lately. Obviously you can't see a lot at the moment, but can just about make them out in the middle of his bottom gums, if he keeps his tongue out of the way long enough!

New Home

2006-08-30T14:49:00.000Z

The Family Scoggins have moved house! We're now in our own three-bedroom house instead of the two-bedroom flat we've been renting for three years. Quite a bit more space for our expanding collection of baby stuff.

Sam was a bit freaked out by all the to-ing and fro-ing of the removals men yesterday, but went off to sleep in his new room last night without much drama. He's doing very well at the moment - he's very vocal, babbling away at just about everything (sorry neighbours!) and giggling uncontrollably at the oddest things.

It won’t be long before he’ll be crawling either. He lies on his front and makes all the right movements, but hasn’t yet lifted himself off the ground sufficiently to actually get going! He has also been sitting unaided for the past few weeks, although he can still lose concentration and end up in an ungainly heap on the floor if you don’t watch him! It’ll be a toss-up between him starting to crawl or starting to get about using the “bottom shuffling” technique, which will be funny to watch.

Hopefully I’ll have some photos to upload on here of Sam in our new house soon, once we sort out the house, find the camera, get the computer up and running and get connected!

Raspberries @ Six Months

2006-07-25T13:20:00.000Z

Sam is now six months and five days old (wherre has the time gone?) and today he has learnt a new trick. He can now blow raspberries. Unfortunately he seems to like doing it best when he's being fed. That pureed carrot can really stain. We blame Grandad, who's a Bad Influence. He's been trying to get Sam to blow raspberries for some time now. I can see he's going to be Trouble.

Sam is a bit poorly at the moment. I took him to the doctor the other day as a persistent cough he's had for a couple of weeks had got worse over the weekend. The doctor said his chest was clear, so no worries about an infection there (yet). Hopefully whatever virus he's picked up will give up and leave him alone before long. It's heartbreaking to see him coughing and spluttering at night, when it seems to get worse. We'll try raising the head of his cot, sitting with him in a steamy bathroom before bed (just what you need in this weather) etc to see if we can help him settle a bit easier.

However, apart from the cough and sniffles he's very alert and interactive these days, burbling away to himself or anyone else within earshot, and grabbing and playing with (and chewing) anything within reach. He also seems to have learnt how to turn himself around completely (head to toe) in his cot. How on earth he manages it we don't know, as the cot doesn't seem wide enough, but he doesn't seem to make much noise while he's doing it. He can almost sit up unaided now too. He can manage it for a few minutes given a following wind, but not for much longer.

After the visit to the doctor on Monday I took him to nursery on the bus - his first bus ride since he was a tiny baby. He sat there completely wide-eyed and open-mouthed with amazement at everything going on for the entire 15 minute trip, much to the amusement of assorted pensioners on the bus. Bless him.

Rolling rolling rolling....

2006-07-05T15:59:00.000Z

Sam rolled over (from his back onto his front) all by himself for the first time last night. He's been pushing himself over onto his side for a while, but hasn't been able to sort out his arms properly to get all the way over. This time he managed it and flopped onto his stomach, which surprised him as much as it did me. Obviously he wouldn't do it again on demand for his Mum, but he'll no doubt be doing it a lot more now he's found the knack.

Mental note: Don't leave him alone for a second on the changing mat.

First Day

2006-07-03T15:59:00.000Z

It seems that another age has passed since I blogged anything about our Sam. He's growing up very fast - today was his first day at nursery! He's five months and two weeks old now, and Anne went back to work today after her 6 months maternity leave. Sam is going to the nursery at my work, which is on-site and extremely handy. It's a great place, and all the staff seem really nice. Sam's been there for the odd hour over the past couple of weeks for an hour or so to get used to it, but today is his first full day. It was quite emotional this morning dropping him off for the first time. His Mum didn't want to let him go. Awwwww. Anne works in Watford, which is nearly an hour's drive away (on a good day), so although she can drop Sam (and me) off in the mornings, I will be picking him up after work and taking him home. With the temperature around 30º today, it's going to be a hot walk home through Bushy Park!

I am assuming that he's had a fun day today and it's all gone well, as I haven't had any phone calls from the nursery! Hopefully Sam is too young to develop 'abandonment issues', but his mother on the other hand...

Other big milestones we've had since I last posted - Sam's now started on solids (well, mush) - good home-cooked food for the most part, with a few jars thrown in for convenience. He definitely likes the home cooked stuff better, and he's not refused anything we've tried him on yet! It's still early days, as he's on his full complement of milk too, but he'll be reducing that before long I expect.

Yesterday we went to visit my wife's side of the family in Kent, and spent the afternoon around my brother-in-law's new pool. Sam had his first swimming "lesson", and seemed to really enjoy himself. Bless.

Anyhoo, best go as it's nearly time to go and get him from the nursery. We'll see how things have gone, and hopefully he'll not bee too tired and fractious this evening.

Sixteen weeks already!

2006-05-14T17:10:00.000Z

Sorry that I've not been posting on here lately. What with us visiting people and people visiting us, time has just been flying by - I cannot believe I last posted back in March!

Sam's been growing like a weed. He's now developing his own personality (a happy one luckily), and it starting to interact a bit more with his surroundings. He smiles and gurgles at just about everything, and everyone. We've recently started feeding him a few bottles of the stage 2 formula (for hungrier babies - because he most definitely is!). It won't be long now before we start him on solids. It's not recommended to do so until at least 17 weeks. Sam already watches us intently whenever we are eating, and seems desperate to have a go himself!

What is really great is that Sam's been sleeping through the night for about seven weeks now! The first time was actually the evening after his first set of jabs. We were expecting a tough night, and had the Calpol at the ready, but no, he slept straight through! Long may it continue, although with teething and weaning to look forward to, I expect that it won't.

Last weekend we took Sam over to Northern Ireland to meet our friends Alex and Adrian, and their boys Tom and Liam. A fab weekend was had, and Sam was on top form. He coped with his first flight very well (we kept a bottle on hand at all times to help stop his ears popping on the way up/down). Tom (6) and Liam (4) hardly left his side all weekend, and he definitely enjoyed their company.

We've all been enjoying the recent good weather, and getting out in it as much as possible. Yesterday we all spend the morning down on our allotment, and today we took Sam out to Chestnut Sunday in Bushy Park. From the picture he looks like he's dressed for safari!

Next week we are going on holiday to Cornwall for a week. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us, and hopefully Sam will enjoy himself in the cottage we have rented, and we won't need another break when we come back!

Anyway must sign off as it's time for Sam to have a bath and get ready for bed.

Smiley Baby

2006-03-21T08:59:00.001Z

This is the closest we've got (at the moment) to a photo of Sam smiling . He definitely looks happy about something. Maybe it's his Dad pulling silly faces at him.

Bless

Smile!

2006-03-13T09:38:00.000Z

Sam smiled at me for the first time yesterday! I was playing with him and tickling his nose, and he broke into a huge grin. He did it again a bit later on, so it wasn't wind.

Awwwwww. Bless.

We've yet to catch it on camera, but we'll keep trying.

Sam had a busy Sunday - first some friends came around for coffee in the morning and brought their 6 month old, Daniel, to meet Sam. It was fascinating seeing the progression between seven weeks and six months, and what we've got to look forward to.

Then Anne and I took Sam over to some friends in Caversham for Sunday lunch. He was really well behaved for the most part, although with all the people there and everything going on he got a little tired and emotional towards the end of the afternoon. He slept like a log most of the night though!

Tips for New Fathers #2

2006-03-06T09:39:00.000Z

When clearing the fridge of left-over bottles of formula that are over 24 hours old, don't also throw out the bottle that contains your partner's hard-won breast milk.

Tips for New Fathers #1

2006-03-06T09:38:00.000Z

When changing nappies, don't bend over your son too closely unless you want an eyeful of wee.

Arm's length is safest.

Extreme Closeup

2006-03-02T12:27:00.000Z

Why's Mummy hiding behind that little silver box again?

Awwww....

2006-02-27T16:46:00.000Z

A few minutes ago my wife rang me just to let me listen to Samuel snoring.

Bless.

We had to go back to the UCLH in London today for Sam to have a check-up at the Transitional Care Unit, and for Anne's nearly-six-week check-up.

Both Mum and baby are fine. Sam has a minor infection (common to many babies) but, after nearly a ninety minute wait outside the hospital pharmacy, we've got some stuff to give him that should clear it up in no time. He was as good as gold all day, hardly uttering a peep while being lugged up and down escalators in his pushchair. Also, thumbs up to the new-style South West trains that have special places to park a pushchair in some of the carriages. Although it seems they're hoping that there are never more than three people with pushchairs on each eight carriage train!

First Night Out!

2006-02-21T09:01:00.000Z

At the weekend we took Sam out with us for the evening, to a meal with friends at a Chinese restaurant in Sunbury (to celebrate the wedding of our friends Murray and Fionna, who tied the knot in Australia just before Xmas - and who were incidentally responsible for Anne and I meeting in the first place!).

We were a little worried whether he would be freaked out by the noise and all the people, but he was as good as gold, and slept for almost the entire time!

Hooray! Mummy and Daddy can go out! Of course, this is dependant on us being able to stay awake long enough!

The littlest person at the table!

Has it been three weeks already?

2006-02-11T10:36:00.000Z

Little Sam was three weeks old yesterday! I can't believe how quickly those weeks have gone. I've been off on two weeks paternity leave and a week annual leave, so I have to go back to work on Monday. Not looking forward to that at all.

We've been having fun over the past weeks. Various visits from midwives and health visitors have proved that Sam is healthy, and that we're not bad parents (you do start to wonder). He's been pretty good really. Once you've found out what it is he's trying to tell you, he does tend to stop crying fairly quickly. He seemed to be suffering from the dreaded colic for a while, which was heartbreaking to watch as there's not a lot you can do, but that seems to have subsided a bit (fingers crossed).

We've also visited family, and family and friends have visited us. He's even been to visit my work once, so a few people there had a look and a bit of a hold.

We've been on a few trips out as well, including a walk around Claremont Landscape Gardens near Esher, on a particularly sunny, if chilly day. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it!) Sam spends most of his time in either his car seat or pushchair fast asleep, so missed everything!

As you can see, he's now just moved into his cot, as he's already outgrown the (thankfully borrowed) moses basket!

He's also got a nice line in frowns if he isn't sure what on earth his parents are doing to him...

Tired out after a hard session at the gym...

Home Sweet Home

2006-01-24T18:28:00.000Z

Anne and Samuel came home on Monday evening, after being discharged from hospital at around 5.30pm.

Since then Samuel has been settling in to his new surroundings, and is doing very well. We're expecting a visit from the local Health Visitor tomorrow, but everything seems fine at the moment, to us at least!

Over the weekend whilst in hospital just about all of both our families came to visit, and were all very taken with Sam. Today (our first day at home) my younger brother came up to visit from Southampton, and was soon put to work with a bottle!

Happy Birthday...

2006-01-20T23:01:00.000Z

...to Samuel Joshua Scoggins!

Born at 2.14pm today, Friday 20 January 2006.

Birth weight 7lbs 3oz (3.27 kg).

After a bit of a wait (we were up at 4am, and at the hospital for 7am), Anne finally went down to the anaesthetic room at around midday. It took two goes to get her epidural to take, but eventually the surgeons kicked off, and before long we had this little treasure to hold! I was very emotional when the midwife gave him to me to hold, I don't mind saying. An experience like nothing else.

Mum is currently recovering well, and will probably spend 3-5 days in hospital. Little Samuel is a real cutie, and was extremely well behaved while being prodded and poked all afternoon by various medical staff.

More news and pictures will no doubt be posted soon. Right, I'm off to get some sleep myself, before heading back to the hospital tomorrow.

Three days to go...

2006-01-17T12:23:00.000Z

...and counting.

Yesterday we went to our hospital in London for the last set of tests/appointments with the obstetrics team before The Big Day on Friday. Everything was fine with Anne and the baby, and the obstetrician took us through what will happen on Friday in great detail, which was very reassuring.

We have to be at the hospital for 7am on Friday morning! That means catching the train into London at 6am! Ah well, we probably won't be able to sleep anyway. Anne will be staying in hospital for anything between 3 and 5 days, while I commute up to visit, along with family and probably some friends.

Anne is still suffering a bit with the cold and cough that I had all last week. She had a bad few days over the weekend but seems to be getting a little better. The doctors didn't seem too worried about it, and told her to take paracetomol or Lemsip to help the symptoms when she needed to. Unfortunately she's not getting a lot of quality sleep at night at the moment, but I guess we'll both be suffering from that in a few days time!

Cough, splutter

2006-01-15T11:31:00.000Z

Only five days to go! Five days until we get to meet our little boy.

This last week has not been much fun. I have been off work with a chest infection, which developed from a heavy cold. Unfortunately Anne has now gone down with the cold, and also has a nasty cough. I have been given antibiotics to fight the infection, but Anne won't be allowed them at the moment. She's coping OK but not enjoying it very much.

On the bright side Anne had her last scan on Friday afternoon. All seems to be well - the estimated weight of our little one is already 7.5 lbs! Blimey. He's pretty tall as well, which isn't much of a surprise really. Anne's got her last ante-natal appointment at the hospital on Monday morning, when we'll hopefully be given all the information for the Big Day on Friday. So this is our last weekend without any kids. Bit of a shame that we're both tucked up in front of the telly with lemsips and boxes of tissues, but it can't be helped.

No Worries

2005-12-28T17:50:00.000Z

We went to the hospital today for yet another set of tests - the full monty this time - heartbeat monitoring, growth scan and appointments with the obstetrics team. The scan (the most important test) showed that our boy has started growing again, after the short lull that got everyone worried. He seems to be fine now, and so we're back to plan A. This is for Anne to have an elective cesarean, most likely on 20 January, depending on another scan in a fortnight's time.

The appointment with the 'team' went well after an initial shaky start with a registrar that we hadn't seen before. She seemed not to realise (or indeed care) that we'd been through a couple of weeks of worry, and treated Anne's test results rather off-handedly. However, the diabetes specialist and the midwife both had much better 'bedside manners' and really reassured us that our baby was OK and that things are back on plan. The midwife (Audrey) also talked us through what to expect during and immediately after the birth, from the point of view of Anne's diabetes care (and immediate care for the baby) - this is quite different from what a 'normal' birth might be (for a non-diabetic mother), and so it was useful to know should Anne go into spontaneous early labour and end up at a different hospital!

Although we initially felt a little deflated this afternoon, as we had been steeling ourselves for an early delivery, it's very good news that Junior is doing OK and is safer where he is for the time being!

More tests

2005-12-20T09:36:00.000Z

There's still a possibility that we might be seeing our little one sooner than expected. Anne had a day of hospital tests yesterday, and the obstetrician is happy that her low amniotic fluid levels have stabilised a bit, just above the lowest threshold for concern. However, they are still worried that the baby has stopped growing - he's a good size already so it's not too much of a concern, but if he's not getting any bigger they might decide to deliver early! If they do then they will keep Anne in hospital for a few days prior to the delivery to give her some steroids to improve the baby's lung function.

So Anne's got more tests on Friday - and if they decide to deliver then, we might have the baby born two days later on Xmas Day! Failing that she's got another appointment on Wednesday 28th, and if they go for it then our boy could be born on the 30 December - which is my little nephew Reuben's birthday too! Blimey.

We've been doing some more shopping for baby things over the weekend. Some incredibly cute essential clothes (baby-gros, that sort of thing), bedding for the cot and a few little gadgets. So we're pretty well prepared should our little one arrive soon. Physically at least - whether we're mentally prepared we shall have to wait and see!

No change

2005-12-16T10:19:00.000Z

Currently Anne and baby are still doing well, no real change. the test on Wednesday went well. Anne had a heartbeat monitor and strain guage attached to her bump for over an hour, so they could monitor the baby's heartbeat and how it changed with movement. The trace was apparently very reassuring that baby is fine.

Anne's got another monitoring session this morning, and so hopefully things will still be OK.

Practical Parenting Tips

2005-12-14T11:51:00.000Z

While at the ante-natal class last night we were handed a sheet of practical parenting tips to prepare us for The Big Day. You can read them here.

D I Y

2005-12-14T09:46:00.000Z

The cot arrived yesterday, bought by one set of grandparents-to-be (both our families have been very generous). Unfortunately the manufacturers hadn't seen fit to include a full set of assembly instructions. How hard could it be? However, there was a surprising number of assorted bits of wood and fittings. Luckily I managed to get it assembled without too many false starts and dark muttering directed at the lovely people at John Lewis. It looks great, and should last our little one until he's old enough to move up to the 'big bed' we've already got.

Last night Anne and I went to her ante-natal 'partners session'. It was quite good fun, with only about six or seven couples there. All the blokes were herded into one room to brainstorm what we thought our role was during the labour/delivery, as well as on returning home with the baby. The girls did the same in another room. The results were quite funny (i.e. Women: Men to do the cleaning at home. Men: Do the cleaning at home - to our standards) but pretty close really.

We were also shown a few videos, one about what to expect during labour/birth (in case we'd been on another planet or hadn't even thought to pick up a book on the subject) and another giving us a tour of our local maternity unit. Anne won't be using that, unless there's an emergency, as we're booked into a hospital in London that specialises in diabetic mothers.

What was interesting was how the experiences of those few fathers who's been through it before varied from the books/videos. The main lesson that came out from it all was to try not to panic and to remain flexible. Birth plans etc. cannot be written in stone, and anything could happen.

We're off to the hospital in London again this afternoon, for another check on the baby since Anne was diagnosed with oligohydramnios. Originally Anne was OK going on her own, but last night and this morning asked me to go with her. We're not sure what to expect. Everything may have returned to normal, or not. We'll see.

Week 32: Low Levels

2005-12-13T09:25:00.000Z

It was all going so well...

Actually, its not bad news - just a little something else to worry about. At Anne's bi-weekly check-up at hospital yesterday she was told she's got low amniotic fluid levels (oligohydramnios). She was fine two weeks ago, so where's it all gone?

The hospital kept her in for the rest of the day for more tests, and the baby is currently fine. She's got to go back for more tests (to check on growth and activity) on Wednesday, Friday and next Monday. One result of this may be that we get to see our baby boy a bit sooner that expected! Anne's obstetrician gave her a bit of a scare yesterday when she came back with the test results and said "Well the good news is that I won't be delivering you today".

Eeeeek!

Furniture etc.

2005-12-05T10:59:00.000Z

We finally decided on which 'travel system' to buy a few weeks ago. After what seemed like endless trips to look at many different types, and talking to many people we decided to go for this one from John Lewis. It fulfils our main criteria:

It's light enough for Anne to carry up and down stairs
The infant carrier fits into our car properly and safely, and clips into the pushchair without requring a degree in physics.
It folds down quite small without requiring a second degree in origami, and so it will fit into boot of our car and still leave room for other stuff!
It includes a warm foot muff/sleeping bag arrangement, as our little one will be born in the depths of winter.
It doesn't cost around £700 (with accessories extra) like some of those you see in the shops (what a rip-off they are).
It's sturdy enough to last for the nine months or so that we will use it. Although many travel systems claim they're OK for up to five-year olds, we're assured by everyone we've spoken to that within a year we'll have swapped it for the lightest compact folding buggy we can find.

So now we've decided on and purchased the travel system, we've been able to focus on other things. We decided that a 'nursing chair' will be useful as a comfortable place to sit and feed the baby. Rather than fork out many hundreds of pounds for the special chairs with sliding mechanisms that are sold in John Lewis etc, we have bought a basic armchair from Ikea. We haven't gone for the horrible patterned print, but a light brown suede-effect cover. It's nice and bouncy, so will be great for rocking the little one to sleep, or for rocking ourselves in when it all gets too much.

We've also ordered the cot, again from John Lewis. That should be arriving in a week or so. So I think that's all the big items of furniture etc that we need. Sometime soon we'll probably have to take a trip to the shops armed with a big list of other essential items we will need. Including some more gadgets. What fun.

Growth Scan

2005-11-15T14:28:00.000Z

Anne had another growth scan yesterday. Everything seems fine, for both mum and baby, which is excellent news. Anne had been worried that she was getting quite big quite quickly, but it seems that the baby is still within 'normal' limits, whatever they might be.

The little guy is moving around a lot more now, or at least Anne can feel him a lot more. You can even see him pushing against her tummy every now and again! Last night he was kicking a lot while we were watching TV, and he also gets very active when Anne is in the bath.

At the weekend we met up with a couple my friends Eleanor and Edd and their 4 month old baby Daniel (Eleanor was heavily pregnant at our wedding, and we hadn't seen them since). It was the first time we'd both been up close to a very young baby in ages. It was a little scary to think that we will have one of those pretty soon, although it's very exciting at the same time!

Anne's team at the hospital will be keeping a close eye on her from now on, with a scan every two weeks. Anne also got her dates through for her ante-natal classes, starting in late November. They're very close to where I work so hopefully I will be able to attend some of them with her.

Kicking

2005-11-07T13:40:00.000Z

Not a lot of drama and news to report at the moment (which is a good thing). Anne is doing OK, but gets very tired very quickly these days. Expanding junior is pushing on all other 'vital organs', which means that Anne gets breathless very easily, even walking up the stairs to the flat.

Our little boy is making his presence felt by giving his mum a regular kicking, too. I've felt some of the movements, and he's quite active sometimes!

Anne's got another 'growth scan' next week. She may get them every fortnight from now on, as being diabetic there's a risk that the baby may start growing very quickly. However, she has her diabetes under very good control (her insulin pump is a godsend) so things should be OK.

We're starting to think about buying stuff now, as we don't want to be caught up in the Christmas shopping chaos while looking for baby things! The biggest issue at the moment is what type of pram/buggy/travel system arrangement to get. We need something that isn't too big (we only have a little flat), is as light as possible (it's a 2nd floor flat), but can be used from birth for as long as possible. There are lots of possibilities, but the two models we really like are a) very pricey and b) the one with the better design for carrying baby up and down stairs is actually the heavier of the two! Hey ho, we'll have to make a decision soon, or the baby will have arrived and we'll still be focussed on the travel system, and won't have bought anything else!

Anne n Clive's Boy

2005-10-31T14:08:00.000Z

The wife has just set up her first blog! She'll be able to give the mother's point of view about pregnancy and all that stuff. I will no doubt keep posting here as and when there is news.

Fetal Cardiac Scan II

2005-10-30T14:12:00.000Z

Anne had another fetal cardiac scan last Tuesday. All seems to be well with our little bundle fo joy. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture, and Anne couldn't see much (note to ultrasound depts - PUT A SCREEN ON THE CEILING!). However, I saw some of what was going on - including an amazing close-up of our boy's heart pumping away - you could even see the valves opening and closing. Fantastic. They did a few measurements too, the one I remember is that his femurs are a shade under 5cm long, and his estimated weight is just under 1 kilo. Aww.

Anne is doing well, although baby is kicking quite a bit now. She tends to be OK in the mornings, but starts to get uncomfortable as the day wears on. Obviously there's not really much I can do, apart from be there and be understanding (and I do try, honestly!).

20 week scan

2005-10-03T09:41:00.000Z

OK, I know that Anne's in week 23 now, but we've been busy and I kept on forgetting to scan in the picture. Anyway, here he is in all his fuzzy glory - our baby.

It's actually the clearest scan we've seen so far (honestly!).

Since the scan mother and baby have been doing well (as evidenced by fairly regular kicking - by the baby that is). I can feel the movements now as well, which is just amazing.

We're going to have a BOY!

2005-08-31T14:49:00.000Z

We found out yesterday! Anne went for a cardiac scan, to check that the baby's heart was developing properly (and it is), and the consultant was able to tell us what we were having! We obviously didn't have any preference, and are simply overjoyed that the baby is healthy, but if nothing else it will cut the naming discussions in half!

Business as usual

2005-08-22T14:11:00.000Z

It's been a while since I posted on here, but everything is going fine at the moment. Anne is now 15 weeks gone, and feeling lots better than she was in the first trimester.

She went to the hospital today for a check-up and heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time! Aww.

End of the 1st trimester

2005-07-25T11:35:00.000Z

We are now at the end of the 1st trimester. Anne's morning (afternoon and evening) sickness is starting to subside a bit. She doesn't tend to feel like she's going to throw up 24 hours a day now, although still gets waves of nausea every now and again.

We went camping in the New Forest at the weekend, which was a nice break away from it all. Probably the last time we'll be able to go camping without a people carrier, trailer, roof box and a much larger tent!

Nuchal Scan

2005-07-25T11:29:00.000Z

Anne had another scan on Friday afternoon. It was meant to be Thursday but was moved due to another bomb scare in London.

This scan was part of the combined test that the EGA hospital offer to screen for Downs Syndrome. The 'nuchal fold' at the base of the baby's neck was measured. In our case the measurement was way below the limit that equates to a 'high risk', which is good news. Further blood tests in a couple of weeks time will give a better indication of risk.

Other measurements were made, and we were told that the baby was quite tall for his/her age (but then I'm 6'4", so it's no real surprise!). The baby looked ifne (as far as we could tell!) and was moving about quite a lot.

Childcare... already?

2005-07-14T08:18:00.000Z

Yes! Our little bundle of joy isn't due until February 2006 but we're already having to think about childcare issues! More specifically, my company has a creche/nursery on site, which is a fabulous perk if you've got kids (it does work out cheaper than many other options around here). The downside is the waiting list, so even if Anne wants to take her full 6 months maternity leave, we have still been advised to put our name down for a place now! That's 12 months in advance!

Do we need to get our name down for a secondary school as well I wonder? :o)

Just an update.

2005-07-12T12:58:00.000Z

Anne had her first scan yesterday at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital in London. We've seen our baby! He/she is only 37mm long, but he/she was moving about and even waved at us (honest!).

It was a special moment, it finally dawned on us that it's really happening!

BIG News!!

2005-07-11T03:00:00.000Z

(copied from my other blog)

We're having a baby!!!

It's early days yet, but we're very excited (alternating with periods of terror). Estimated time of arrival is 3rd February, which is good planning as there won't be much to do on the [allotment] then... ("For Shame!" I hear you all cry!).

The new mum-to-be is currently suffering from morning (and afternoon, and evening) sickness, but hopefully that will pass before long. Anne's tried just about every remedy suggested (everyone does seem to have a suggestion!), and some of them have been helping a bit. She's coping much better than I would, I am sure.

Hello

2005-07-11T01:00:00.000Z

Hi there.

To save cluttering up my other blog with non-gardening news, I thought I'd start a brand new blog to report on our fabulous new deliverable!

Estimated time of arrival: 3 February 2006