Mindless actions

Monday:
Dad was on the phone a lot last night as his hospital was so close to the riots in Hackney.  Their Emergency department was treating both rioters and police.  Mum was very worried that Dad would have to go in and help therefore having to drive through the violence but the staff worked very hard and Dad didn't have to go in overnight.  Phew, and thank you! 

The rioting has calmed down but police cars and vans continue to race past the house with their sirens blaring.  This is fine if we are all awake but not so cool when I am trying to sleep!

I visited my Health Visitor on Wednesday and got weighed again - 5.94kg.  I am still progressing along 25th centile and still growing out of clothes at a steady rate.

My first nappy (not used!) and my current nappy with Mum's phone as size comparison.

Swimming on Thursday.  I seem to be getting the hang of the underwater swimming thing and Mum is very good at helping me.  We did 'piggy back' swimming this week with me floating on Mum's back whilst she swam along.  Very cool.  I chatted away to her telling her how much I was enjoying it but I don't think she completely understood and we got out of the pool too soon.  Mum did say she would teach Dad how to swim with me so that will be good.  I won't be at swimming next week but I promise I'll practice in the meantime so Albert, George, Olive, Daisy and Beatrice won't get too far ahead!

After swimming we went to Chelsea and Westminster to see the Chaplain there.  M+D want to have a service there to celebrate ME as my baptism was a bit rushed when I was 3 days old!  A date has been set and Dad is sorting out the food and drink.

Yesterday, Mum and I went out to Gymboree.  I  wasn't really in the mood and was a bit grouchy but Mum jiggled me and sang to me and I calmed down.  We then went to a hairdressers for Mum (I don't have enough hair to 'dress' yet).  We were there for quite a long time and Mum looked quite different when we left.  She kept playing with her hair and when we got home Dad seemed a bit surprised but in a good way.  Photos to follow.

Today we are tidying and sorting out the house, it is weekend after all.  Washing all my bibs, muslins and clothes is a big task now I'm eating solids.  Mum has taken to feeding me with no top on as cleaning me is easier!

Top on pre-feed

Dad is making a book of my blog.  He is spending a lot of time tapping away at his computer.  I don't think he is paying me enough attention and have told him as much!  He says he can't quite believe the journey we have been on or how he and Mum wrote the blog during the very dark times but that he is very pleased they did as we have a record of my first months.  M+D both agree they have difficulty remembering exactly what happened as their brains have intentionally filed those memories far away.

They are enjoying the good experiences all the more.  This week I have learned two new tricks. The first is that I've found my voice. And I rather like it. So I'm making happy babbling gurgling noises at any excuse. And secondly, I'm playing with my toys using my hands to explore and manipulate them.  The concentration on my face is very cute apparently!

Hang on...where's the other one?

 

love to all,

Arthur xxx

Anniversaries and cracking steaks

Hello all,

I'll start where I left off last week - Sunday afternoon: we went to a surprise birthday for my godfather Fred.  We had private room at the "Hawksmoor' in Covent Garden, whose staff could not have been more helpful to me. Many thanks! Mum and Dad said they had their best steak ever.  I had cuddles from Fred, Sherifa and Rosie. 

Super-cute but a bit dribbly

Monday:
And a day of many celebrations.  My grandad P's birthday, Mum and Dad's 2 year wedding anniversary and most important of all - I have spent as much time out of hospital as I have in (13 weeks and 5 days!).  Mum and I went to coffee in the afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine. Then M+D went out for a special dinner so I had the run of house with my lovely babysitter for the evening - Cat.  

Tuesday:
They put jelly on my tummy. Not for me to eat but for a ultrasound scan of my kidneys. No change really.  My right kidney is still twice the size of the left but nothing new there so we will wait until the kidney doctors see me in October.
In the evening we had a barbeque with Cathrine, Fred and Sherifa.  Dad was a 'man' and built the barbeque then made fire and incinerated some meat.  It was very tasty apparently but I went to sleep quite early as it was very hot and the scan had tired me out.

Wednesday:
Even hotter! Mum and I went to Greenwich to meet one of her friends, Emily, and her daughter, Alicja.  She was born a week before me and is also weaning steadily.  She is much bigger than me  but Mum said this is allowed as she is supposed to be 6 months old not 3 like me so I'm not too worried.  We had lunch then wandered around Greenwich park.

Lovely views and Mum and Emily had an ice cream - Alicja and I looked super cute but to no avail.  No treats for us!

Me trying to spot an Ice cream - Alicja less bothered!

Thursday:
Rain!!! So it cooled down a bit. I went to physio - learning new tricks and consolidating old ones.  She was very pleased with my progress particularly when I didn't scream when she put me on my tummy and showed Mum how to help me practice sitting. I have to learn to hold onto my feet. I'm not sure it's comfy.
Swimming - more underwater swimming but this time Mum was in charge of holding on to me.  She did rather well and I quite enjoyed it.  Well, I didn't cry too much anyway.

Friday:
What a busy day. First - Gymboree.  Managed to stay awake for the whole session this time.  We played with tamborines, maracas and we sang songs. 
Then Mum's friend Emma and her dog, Winston, came for lunch. Not sure I like dogs.
Then Mum and I went to see Jude, Jonathan and their new baby, Rory.  He was asleep for the time we were there - well he has only just been born! Mum said he was very light in comparison with me (half my weight actually).  I was super-cute and smiled a lot to show them what Rory will be doing very soon!
Then we all went for dinner with friends of M+D, Marcus and Sophie.  Their son, Robin, was one of my neighbours at Chelsea.  He has grown even more since Mum and I last saw him back in June. He is catching up with me and fast! I think it was good for M+D to catch up with parents who have had a similar experience.  They talked alot, laughed alot and ate alot!  Robin and I slept alot.

Saturday:
Lunch with Grandad and Granny E.  I smiled and chatted to them and they gave me good hugs in return. 

Sunday:
DIY for Dad and playing with my hands for me. Thank you to Sandra for my new curtains.  M+D had fun putting them up!  They match my wardrobe doors and brighten up the room a treat!
I think I have had a busy week - I got rather tired and emotional this evening. Mum was very good with me as I screamed all the way through her attempts to feed me yoghurt. I'm going to go to bed early, so bye bye for now.

Beautiful curtains - huge thanks! (Look closely and you can see my feet!)

Love to all,
Arthur xx

Don't take a buggy to Hamley's

Another busy week for me.

Monday: Mental note to all Mums out there: don't go to Hamleys (big toy store on Regents Street) with a buggy on the first day of the Summer holidays when it's 26 degrees - no airconditioning, tiny gaps between shelves, hundreds of people, staff playing with toys looking like their jobs depend on it. We ran away toyless. And whilst I'm on shops: why are the lifts hidden away in the back of the shop and why are they so small?!
I had my first yoghurt today - strawberry.  Yummy!

Tuesday: Mum and I went to Gymboree: we sang songs, I had tummy time - I wasn't absolutely sure this was for me so I fell asleep! I seem to do this in public places - see swimming last week.

Do not disturb

Wednesday: 3 months old corrected - time flies.  Mum will probably be heading back to work in 3 months.  Eeek.  Tried to get to a meeting at Mum's work to sort out Mummy still having 2 days a week at home for me. We got into the car and then got stuck in traffic so had to turn back.  Quite annoying given the fuss surrounding getting me into a car with my kit.

Mum is feeling a bit low at the moment and is finding it difficult to stay motivated with her training.  I think she's feeling a little bit trapped. Getting out of the house if I've had a bad night is very hard and she can't go running with me as the buggy doesn't have the right suspension apparently.  Hmmm. I suspect all Mummys go through this phase, but I'm trying to do my bit by being extra cute and smiley. I hope it helps.

Dinner with P&L - yummy as always to see our dear friends who, along with so many others, have helped M+D through such a difficult start to the year.

Thursday: Went swimming. Didn't fall asleep!  Did my first underwater swim and didn't cry, so well done me.  Mum and I then went for lunch with some of the other swimming Mums.  Their babies were born in April so they are the same age as me, corrected.  And we all look roughly the same size and shape. Of course I am unique and utterly special in every way but I'm also glad I blend into the crowd quite well. 

Friday: Went shopping with Mum and may have looked so super-cute that she bought me some more clothes.  Mum pureed more food for me - yummy sweet potato and roasted red peppers. I'm a Waitrose child(!)
Mum went out for the evening leaving me under the watchful eye of Dad.  The house was still standing on her return - Dad looked a little frazzled. Frankly I think it's up to me when I choose to have a tantrum, and if it lasts all evening, humour me.

A brief moment of calm whilst I help Dad get the bottle in the right place

Saturday: Something seemed to be wrong with Mummy. She stayed in bed and blamed the "Cosmopolitans". I don't know who they are but I don't think it was nice of them to make my Mummy sick. Dad fed me breakfast of mango yoghurt. You can judge the success of this for yourselves:

More yoghurt made it into my tummy.  Honest!

Then we all went out to see Jill the owner of the Curwen and New Academy gallery in Bloomsbury. The gallery is Dad's favourite and Jill has given me very beautiful picture as a "hello" pressie. It was lovely to meet her and say thank you in person.

Sunday: Happy third birthday to my cousin Lydia! And a message to Katie, who was such a fabulous babysitter - well done on your new baby boy but, speaking as a fellow baby, ten days is long enough: he deserves a name now!

Dad read me "the Hungry Caterpillar" - the originally one with the holes (thank you to Dad's godmother Pippa). I like the hungry caterpillar, he's funny.

Apparently you want to read my little updates during Sunday - so I'll post this now but I'll have to tell you about this afternoon's party next week - remind me.

Love to all,
Arthur xx

Happy birthday to me!

Good afternoon everyone.

I know I get a week older every week; which is not surprising, but this Friday I celebrated my 6 month birthday.  No presents (tisk) but my parents did get me my BCG vaccination against TB.  Not quite what I was hoping for!

It was a busy week for me.  
Monday - coffee with twins, Ethan and Caleb and their mum Heather.   

I should have had an ultrasound on Tuesday, but Mum forgot!  Naughty Mummy!  I do have quite a lot of appointments on lots of different days and Mum has received reminders for the other ones but not for this one so it's not all that surprising that it got away.  Oops.

Wednesday was a day of rest for me and Mum so we stayed at home. 

I had my first swimming lesson on Thursday.  I took it in my stride and was so comfortable, I fell asleep whilst in the pool!  Mum was a bit embarrassed but it was my nap time and the water was nice and warm.  We did try some swimming.  Mum held me in the water and kept saying 'kick, kick, kick' whilst pulling me through the water.  I will kick my legs when I choose to not when you want me to, thank you.  Mum had training with Cat.  I helped by providing 5.5kg of baby to lift.  Mum can now get into her PP(pre-pregnancy) jeans.  This is apparently a BIG deal!  Well done Mum and well done Cat.

Who's a happy boy then!

Friday was SUPER busy.  Mum went training in the morning, Dad went to work, Mum and I drove to Northwick Park to drop off books for another registrar, did shopping, packed for the weekend, had my vaccination and then drove to collect Dad from work.  We then headed off for the weekend in Norfolk.  Phew!  M+D were are little worried the traffic would be horrid but once we were out of London we made good time and got to Erika and Rupert's in plenty of time for dinner.

I met Erika, Rupert and their children - Sarah, Crawford, Martin, Ellie, Bethan and Angus.  We went for a walk to the Broads nearby and saw swans and the grown-ups drank coffee; brewed fresh in the back of a tiny smart car (really) as it wasn't very warm even though it's July.  On Saturday afternoon we went to look at paintings in Norwich Castle.  Dad tried me facing outwards in the Baby Bjorn so I could have a look too.  I coped really well and didn't fall forward once.  I also started playing with toys with more purpose this weekend.  I held onto my firefly toy in the car and Angus showed me another toy with wooden bars and string that I held onto and moved around by myself.  This seemed to please M+D no end.

Holding on!

Now we are back in London and I am having my evening sleep having stopped being a vegetarian by eating chicken and sweet potato for dinner.  I am doing really well with my weaning and Mum is getting more adventurous with my food.  Bring it on.

Next week I turn 3 months old corrected so another birthday!  I will try looking super cute and see if I can get cake.  I'll let you know how I get on.

love to all,

Arthur xxx

Great British Weather

Evening all!

Another fabulous week in the British Summer and it was wetter than Norway!

Forgot to put this in last week - Me on the plane!

Mum and I had a fairly stress free week.  Dad went to work - slightly more stressful apparently.

On Wednesday, we went for coffee with other mums and babies from the area.  More baby chat (poo, weaning, sleeping, going back to work etc). 

Thursday was appointment day.  We all went to see the Neonatal Consultant to assess my development.  I was a bit tired so didn't really feel like smiling but I had a go at rolling and would have almost managed it if there hadn't been sides on the changing mat!  I now weigh 5.46kg and am 58cm tall.  All good and showing that I'm eating enough and that the weaning is working.  I have to see him again in September but he is happy with my progress and cannot find anything wrong with me at the moment.  Good good.  M+D seemed very happy indeed!

I can smile when I want to!

Mum and I went shopping on Friday to buy Dad a present.  They have been married for 2 years this year and so they are getting presents for each other.  We got Dad the Savoy Hotel book of cocktail recipes, an original from 1930.  That's 81 years old! Dad said it was one of his best pressie's ever - clever Mummy!

Saturday was really rainy so we went for a picnic, naturally.  We went to Wendover Woods to meet up with the Classic Car Club guys for a barbeque/picnic.  The sun came out as we arrived and Dad played some cricket (he took his first ever wicket!) and Mum took me for a walk with Poppy and Lily.  They pushed me round and gave me hugs which were very snuggly.

Sheltering with my new friends!

In the evening we went to friends for a fun poker night.  Mum hasn't played poker before and lost all her money.  Fortunately, Dad is better and made a £5 win.  It was good to see their friends Pieter and Nell and their friends David and Catherine too.  I slept upstairs for most of it but not before I saw the view of Canary Wharf from the flat.  Very pretty.


Today was a day of rest.  I am now on 3 solid feeds a day so Mum pureed a lot of stuff for me.  I get to try swede, peas and broccoli next week.  Currently banana and mango are my favourite fruits and I now like carrot when it's mixed with other veg.  I also tried sitting in my Bumbo now my head control is good.  I like looking round from my new position.  It makes me feel very grown up.  Mum didn't leave me in there for too long as she was a bit worried so I had a lie down on my playmat too.  Dad helped tidy up so now the hall is clear and my buggy can get into the house more easily.  Mum did more washing too as I am growing so fast that lots of my clothes don't fit me so the bigger ones have been brought out and made clean for me. 

All grown up!

Next week has me going to clinics and for my first swimming lesson. I'll let you know how they go next weekend. We are also meeting lots of friends for dinners - support for M&D and more hugs and attention for me!

Love to all,

Arthur xxxx

Norwegian exploits!

A week of many firsts. Mum and Dad decided they needed a holiday as my early arrival meant that they hadn't had one for a while. My friends Simon and Cathrine live near Bergen, in Norway; so we went to see them.
This meant quite a lot of packing. Daddy joked that we had packed everything we owned - and lots of outfits for me. Then we drove to the airport and I got on my first aeroplane.

I've decided I quite like flying and so I was good as gold throughout the short flight. Then M&D and Cathrine had to study instructions in Norwegian to get the car seat to fit. Fortunately Cathrine is Norwegian, otherwise this might have been a bit tricky! After the car we then got in a boat. A boat! This meant I had to wear a lifejacket, made super small specially for me. And Mum and Dad and their friends and me and all our suitcases, and bags, and changing bag - took the boat across to Simon and Cathrine's house.

Holding on tight!!

Bergen is famous for its deep red coloured buildings, the fjords and the rain. Simon and Cathrine's house is red, we went in their boat to travel through the fjords and it rained a lot.  It didn't stop us having a barbeque outside and seeing porpoises in the rain.

Simon persuades me into my rain kit!

It may rain a lot on Norway's West coast but we we're lucky - we had some fabulous days. Oh, and I got through all 12 outfits so they had to be washed half way through - weaning is super-messy!

Stunning day - view from the terrace!

Our holiday was over too soon and we were back on the plane home.  More good behaviour from me which was rewarded by a wonderful descent into Heathrow over the centre of London.  We saw our house and everything!  London really is beautiful.

Back in Blighty and the weaning continues.  I'm trying lots of different flavours and Mum is learning which ones stain badly (CARROT!!!) and which ones don't (everything else).  I'm also learning how to hold my own dummy in my mouth and finding my thumbs when I don't want my dummy.

I have a new playmate as well. Congratulations to Lucy and Tim on the birth of their baby boy!

Bye for now and love to all,

Arthur xxxx

Eh up me duck!

Evening one and all! 

It's that time again. Another birthday has been and gone, I celebrated my 2 month (since due-date) birthday on Monday and celebrated by going to Kensington to meet one of Mum's friends and her new puppy.  We had a picnic in Hyde Park.  It was very sunny so Mum kept me sheltered in my carrycot.  She didn't follow her own advice and got pink shoulders! Winston, the puppy was very cute and even smaller than me!  He has more hair though.  I got a present too.  Emma's mum and members of the Danish Church have been busy sewing and have made me a beautiful quilt.  Thank you!


On Wednesday Mum and I went for coffee with some Mums and Dads from the area.  They talked about the really important stuff like poo, sleeping, weaning and growing out of clothes too quickly.  Mum and I then braved Ikea (again).  This time for a bookcase.  This only weighed 20kg in comparison with the chest of drawers we bought last time that weighed 35kg!  That's 7 times my weight!  Mum and I were successful in our trip and got it into the car again and into the house at the other end.  The A team strikes again!

More smiling going on!

Thursday was an exciting day.  Mum and I picked up her new car.  It's very shiny and much quicker than her old one. I'm clinging on for dear life as she gets used to its acceleration!  In the evening we all went for dinner at James and Cat's.  They have 2 kittens called Mops and Tom.  They are almost as cute as me but not quite!

Friday was also busy - the pace of modern life is sooo hectic.  Dad went to work and Mum ran up and down the stairs a lot putting things into bags.  She then put all of it into the car, squeezed me in, and off we went to collect Dad and we all sat in the car for four hours on a car park called the M1.  This was my first night away from home (or hospital).  We stayed with friends near Leicester on Friday and I was my usual super-cute, fairly angelic self.  Ben and Sam have 3 children of their own but they are bigger than me.  I'll keep growing as fast as I can to catch up with them and then I'll be able to play with them in their lovely garden.

A total of nine hours sat here this weekend!

Saturday was more travelling.  This time to Ashbourne, where Mum comes from.  People in Derbyshire say 'luv' and 'duck' a lot.  We came to see Granny W, Grandad P and Nana and we stayed in a hotel nearby.  M+D and Granny W had dinner and I joined them but I slept 'cos I don't like wine.  Sunday lunch with Grandad P and Nana was also lovely.  We ate in the garden and heard the local band playing to celebrate the Ashbourne Festival.  Grandad P said it was the first time it hadn't rained for it!  My Aunty Jayne had bought me a hat from Majorca. It has a happy monster on it.  Thank you!

Contemplative cuddles with Granny W

Proud Mummy

 Another update is that I have started solids!  Now, I now I may only be small and technically 2 months old but my gut is now 5 months old and has been having milk for quite a long time now and I'm beginning to get a bit bored of it.  Mum went to Tommies to have a lesson on when and how to do it and now I've tried sweet potato, pear, apple, banana, carrot and parsnip.  The last 2 I'm not so keen on but I've been polishing off whole portions of the rest.  Yummy!  Mum and Dad are getting better at getting more in my mouth the more they do it and the dirty bib and muslin quota has increased significantly.  I try to help but I seem to get puree on my hands and then up my nose.  I'll keep trying.

Not such a fan of carrot!

We were so busy, we missed the tennis.  Well done to Djokovic and Kvitova - very good Scrabble scores, both of them.

Love to all,

Arthur xxx