Jabs and Jaunts

The most pathetic and sweet screams from Penny as she had her first jabs today. But she calmed down after a feed. And the rest of the healthcheck went very well, 11lb 11oz and in great nick in every sense.

Then off to Spalding where we were met in the sunny afternoon by Mum and Dad ... or rather Granny and Grandad. Then home to relax, drink tea, eat cake and generally coo over the baby. She was a bit grizzly and changeable all day, though kind of fair enough as someone poked daggers in her legs in the morning.

Lovely to be here, very relaxed and being looking after as only parents (or grandparents) know how. And a call from Fish who is having a wonderful time at the wedding, though missing his dance partner ... sweet :)

Jobs, Japes and Chilling Out

After a very big feed last night I heard a little laugh come from Penny ... priceless!

Anyway, she had another good night where she slept from 12-5 (about 3 in a row now), and happily went back to sleep again after her feed.

Met up with the NCT guys, gals and babies at the Florence, which was hot and busy as it was a bank holiday. Everybody seems well, and the babies are all growing happily.

Then an evening trying to squeeze in various tidying jobs around sorting out Penny, who seemed grizzly having not slept at all in the day. Tired but unable to drop off to sleep without lying on me, making me unable to continue my jobs ... sigh!

Have added some wedding pics to Saturday's post! I love the one of Keith and Charlie and their baby girls.

Playtime with Penny

Waved Fishy off at 8am, and grabbed a bit of extra sleep.

Bobbin and Neil came round for a yummy spag bol lunch and to meet Penny, was really good to catch up with them! Lots of chatting about life, kids, cars and Bristol.

Then spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing with Penny, making faces to induce that addictive smile, and making a mess when we got the fingerpaints out to do hand and footprints for her baby book.

Also pleased to see I have lost a couple more lbs than I expected, seems that swimming is paying off!

Driven

Up at 9, though we were up before our alarm clocks as Penny rose at 8, to gather everything together for driving to Nick and Becky's wedding. Having joined a car club, we booked a car for the day to give us some flexibility, especially with the baby. Was incredibly easy to drive again, I am more surprised than ever at how quickly it came back.

Made it to the church in Reigate in plenty of time to seek out some Fish & Chips. Really great to see Clare, James F and all the others. We had to manage a couple of poo-splosions, but we took our time and it was ok.

In fact the whole day was very touching and sweet, personal and happy. Chatted a lot with Danni and Clare, had a bit of a dance both with Penny and, when Clare was expertly holding her, just by ourselves. When Penny was being babysat by Clare we also went outside to enjoy the fabulous view of the rolling hills and the lake. Gorgeous!

Left at about 10, good to feel we didn't really miss out on anything due to little P ... and lovely to introduce her to everybody. Now exhausted, especially poor Fish who is having to figure out his travelling and packing for tomorrow.

Sweet Friday Cakes and Cuddles

Another cuddly morning in bed with the ever more smiley and on-the-brink-of-laughing Ms Penny-Pops. She has slept for 4.5 hours for 2 nights now (along with more smaller chunks afterwards), joy!

A restful morning of washing, bathing P and expressing more milk quite happily. Then to the Earl Grey & Rose tea shop in Streatham for some lovely tea and cake with the NCT ladies. Always fun to meet up with them, great that we are still so in touch.

Then I scampered off to the pool when Charlie came back from work, and came back for a quick drink with him and Patrick, before a chilled out evening with Fish and P.

Milk Donation

I am a pincushion!

Went to St Thomas' hospital to get tested and kitted up for donating breast milk, as I seem to have plenty available. And, having mentioned to the doctor that I have bad veins for getting blood from, she then proved me right by trying first in my elbow, then on the side of my wrist, and then (successfully) on the veiny bit of my wrist (which has now bruised). It did hurt, and bless her, Penny did not like it when they were hurting me and so started to yelp a bit in sympathy, completely stopping when it was over. Solidarity, little dude.

So I now have my own little milk factory, bottling up 100ml at a time and filling up my freezer, until there is 2l for the courier to take away. Groovy! Plus started off well today with a whole 100ml, well done ladies!

Also, ran into a lady clearly in labour in the hospital lift. I said good luck, and she asked me how it was with the baby. I said, like the birth, there is nothing quite like it. And then I recommended for her to just focus on the birth being done. I felt for her.

Erika and Dan came round for dinner, lasagne followed by my take on a dessert we had at the fabulous Galapagos restaurant once: spiced plums in caramel sauce, with cheesecake cream and crumble topping. I added raspberries, as Brixton had no more plums to add to the punnet I already had in stock. It was pretty good, and I think I know how to improve it for next time too.

A fun relaxed evening overall, especially amusing when Dan and Penny were counting bicycles together (to make her forget her grizzles).

Out in the Country

As predicted, massively tired on waking, but knew I need to get up to spend a lovely day with Marianne, her son and new daughter, way down south west in the country.

A chilled out train journey to Winchfield later, we wrestled with 3 carseats and ended up at a lovely cafe in the village of Hartley Wintney to chat and catch up. After many many lunches during our respective pregnancies, it felt good and natural to be catching up properly again.

After tea in the sunny garden at M's house, back into London. Immediately regretted leaving it till rush hour to get back as the bus was packed and hard to navigate with baby, bag and carseat.

A chilled out evening to rebalance ... though hard to manage a grimbly baby whilst trying to relax, she is much more changeable now!

Girls Together

A wonderful afternoon spent with Erika and P on the Kings Road. Erika seemed to love carrying the baby round in the sling, especially with people assuming she was the Mummy which made me giggle ... if only all new mums could look that good!

Tried on some dresses, looked for wedding presents and generally were ladies of leisure. Great to have the time free to spend on such days.

Met with Andrew in Sainsburys, another giggle as the checkout ladies assumed he was the Daddy. He joined us for dinner, as he had just come back from a business trip.

Stayed up far to late finalising a few of our admin matters ... wills, savings for Penny etc.

Monday Mysteries

Met with NCT ladies for a late lunch. Great to see them, and to see how the babies have grown over the last couple of weeks.

Penny was uncharacteristically grimbly and grumpy, after a hungry weekend this seems to be a sign that her grimbles are more complex. Hungry? Tired? Hot? Needs a hug?

Another Glee-fest in the evening ... laaaa!

Sunny Sunday

Went into Covent Garden to meet Charlie's SF0 friend Kristina for lunch. We went to TGIs which was great for us, but maybe a bit silly given K had just came over from the US so really didn't need a cheeseburger to enhance her cultural appreciation of the UK. The ribs and milkshakes were fabulous though, must go there again soon.

Penny and I left them in town to pick up some dinner for the evening. Had a lovely mushroom and courgette risotto along with waffles for dessert with Andrew and Alex, who had just returned from their week of relaxation in Ibiza. Alex kindly countersigned Penny's passport application, and we finished off with a game of Dixit which I won ... huzzah!

Park Wandering

A lazy morning with Penny, followed by a tear-free bath for her (hooray!) as we pootled out of the house so Charlie could do a recorded interview with a teacher fan of his from India, so she could show her students.

The second outing for the pram, we picked up a few bits and pieces, and then went for a walk around the park. As the Lido cafe was packed, we did a circuit of the park (punctuated by a feed when her highness had a sudden fit), then back to Brixton for a wander into KFC then back home.

Made a Shepherds Pie for Robin and Marion, who were dropping the video camera off, and also for Matthew who was in London watching the Rugby. Along with a massive pile of fresh strawberries and cream, and a lot of Penny cuddles, was lovely to see them all. Finished the day off with Dr Who, which was particularly scary this week.

Pirates and Paragons

Decided to take it a bit easy, after the drama of Thurs. Charlie and I went to the 'Big Scream' showing of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film, so the film was punctuated with little baby mewls and some more urgent screeches at points ... but Penny slept through the whole thing.

Then, after some lunch, met up with Andy H who was back in the UK for a week from Thailand. Was great to see him, and to chat about life, work, the baby, family etc while sitting in Green Park. Then back home again to have a relaxing evening in with Charlie Fish, which consisted of me trying out Charlie's new obsession ... the game of Heroscape. Verdict? Not bad, especially the dragons, but can't see myself playing too much of it!

A Hard Day

Got a bit worked up last night, as I realised that childbirth has taken its toll and I have not mended down below quite as well as I hoped.

So, not being able to sleep particularly well, spent the night doing what everybody does these days, checking out all the many variables on the internet.

Called the docs, and was disappointed to hear I couldn't see my doc till 7th June. So promptly burst into tears when taking Penny for her regular visit to the Health Visitor, as I explained that Penny was fine but Mummy wasn't doing too well.

I think the stress of thinking about it all and the lack of sleep has triggered a day of teary hormones ... hardly surprising for a new Mum.

So, as she recommended, I went back to the docs where I found out they do emergency appointments in the afternoon. And after a few hours of Sex and the City, Penny and I went back. And it was reassuring ... all normal given it has only been 6 weeks (hang on, it sounds just like when I went to see them for my hip!). The doc was sympathetic but clear, and supportive of me coming back soon to get checked again.

So, felt a bit better as I pootled round Brixton with Penny. Karma made up for the way I was feeling by making Penny extra good, super sweet and just a complete dear. I am so madly in love with her! And at 10lb 14oz now, I am overjoyed that she is so happy and well.

Now a relaxing evening in with Fish, with further chilledoutness lying ahead over the long weekend. He has been so supportive ... I am very lucky to have him and Penny looking after me!

Return to Brum

An early start, getting up for the 6am feed and staying awake so I could catch an early train from Marylebone to Birmingham. Penny was a doll, sleeping on the train so I also slept. Arriving in the twee Moor Street Station, the Bullring felt familiar and friendly to my eyes too. Had a wander round before meeting up with Tor and Orla at Cafe Rouge.

Was so good to see her again. Of all my friends, she is the person I really should see more of being an old friend from uni, but we just never got in the habit of getting it in the diary. We had an indulgently protracted lunch, chatting endlessly (mostly about babies, as the biggest thing in both of our lives at the moment) and feeding the girls at various points.

After an afternoon of wandering aimlessly round Birmingham, chatting and glancing at baby clothes, we then met with Ruth and Miranda in Starbucks. Lovely to see them, if only briefly, and they both seemed well. Good for Ruth to see P again, and to introduce her to Miranda.

Then back on the train home, feeling more and more tired but good after a long day.

Catching up on Sleep

Stayed in bed with Penny all morning, catching up on sleep and enjoying her being v smiley and engaging. Got through a few house jobs, including tidying my side of the bedroom (long overdue!) and confirming travel plans for the next couple of hectic days.

Then went for a swim when Charlie got home, made a little more challenging as I found myself with a headache halfway though. Then home where Fish was watching ' The Last King of Scotland', which he paused for our dinner, then we both had an early night ... clearly knackered!

Slow Day

A busy night, as Penny simply would not settle on her back in her crib, so lots of rocking and cuddling to try and get her back off to sleep.

Up reasonably early for my 6 week check with the Docs, who seemed pleased with my progress.

Brain a bit addled all day, so tried to catch up on a few home admin jobs. Even managed to get a half hour nap in, but Penny was restless all day so not much chance.

Pleased that her face is much less spotty now ... still a little dry, but overall much better ... and has added to her massive cute factor :)

Out of London, to Brighton

A bit of a lie in, as we had gone to bed so late, and then straight to Brighton to spend the day with Theresa and Demitres. We were completely spoiled with a lovely lunch and yummy walnut cake. Good just to sit and chat in their conservatory, and I even had a quick back massage. V kind, especially as I am a bit doubled over with breastfeeding at the mo.

As Penny now seems to need more entertainment, we have now switched her from moses basket to crib so we can attach toys, use her mobile etc.

She is smiling even more now, so here is a lovely happy pic from cuddling Daddy earlier.

Oh, and Sock Monkey's and Hannah's beautiful sock rabbit are now up on Norris' blog.

To inspire her with beauty

Up reasonably smartish for a Saturday so I could escape for my well deserved swim. Then back to pick up Penny to start the day's adventure, which consisted of avoiding another full day of Charlie playing D&D with Kirsten, James C and Greg. Lovely people, but I have twice now stayed in while the game was going on, and although I was never involved, I seemed to be incredibly unproductive on those days ... so out of the house it is!

One of my biggest maternity leave plans was always to get to know the Victoria & Albert Museum better. And, as it does not get so much busier at the weekend, this was where we headed to. And such a good choice! We made a 'P' for Penny at a free craft workshop (well, Penny slept, but she was much admired by the other participants), and wandered through some of the upper floors. I especially enjoyed the jewellery and the wrought iron, and made a mental note to get tickets to the Cult of Beauty exhibition.

Then, having bumped into an FTF colleague, we popped into Harrods. Penny was awake at this point and was captivated with all the opulent things she could see, from vibrant handbags to a shiny metallic chess set. Expensive tastes!

Indulged in some v posh cheese, scones, clotted cream, jam and wine to take back to Andrew's for Eurovision with him and Norris. A fun camp-fest as per usual, and our ratings system (Costume, Dance, 'Hotness', Song and Gimmick being our criteria) seemed to miss the Azerbaijan mark.

Home late, and D&D still going. Bed even later after a long and fun day.

A Day Out with Granny

A lovely day with Mum (Granny) in London. We wandered to the British Library to take a peripheral wander round (translation: we sat out in the courtyard for a while and went to the gift shop!) before going for lunch at Drink Make Do, where I had gone with friends for my birthday this year.

A couple of broccoli and stilton tarts, chocolate brownies and a couple of bouts of breastmilk later, we decided to visit M&S at Marble Arch (shocker!)

I seek a dress that is colourful, that I can breastfeed in, that is suitable for all my weddings in 2011 ... and of course I cannot find it. So we took lots of breaks in cafes instead, pootling round John Lewis, Pepperberry, Mothercare and Monsoon inbetween.

Rested at home in the evening, tried Penny's new babygrow with the duckies on it that Granny kindly bought for her, and chilled out while Charlie and Andrew played Heroscape.

Express Yourself

Penny is now legally Penelope Diana Theresa! Was fairly straightforward at Lambeth Registry Office to get it all sorted.

Then an afternoon at home, having my first play with the manual breast pump ... interesting! Managed to get about 70 ml out, it is quite a surreal process! When Charlie fed her 50 ml in the evening she downed it in 5 mins, explains why she is a good size ... she can drink for Britain!

Also sorted through my wardrobe to rediscover my pre-preggie wardrobe, to store my maternity clothes and to remove any unnecessary items to the charity shop bag. Was lovely to come across some old favourites hidden at the back of my shelves. And now Charlie has helped me with a jeans amnesty (he has hidden my jeans so I wear some of my more interesting clothes) I look forward to wearing them. Of course biggest priority is to the clothes I can breastfeed easily in.

Made oven baked trout for dinner, was delicious but the bones are so annoying.

Penny was very hungry and grizzly all evening ... another growth spurt?

Back in at the Deep End :)

Went for a wonderful swim today, while Charlie took care of Penny for a while.

Was fine leaving her for the hour or so it took me, it just felt a bit like I had forgotten something.

And it turns out swimming after having a baby is wonderful for lots of reasons:

- Doing breaststroke again, and at a reasonable speed.

- Not feeling like you will sink from the big, heavy tummy.

- Having decent lung capacity again.

- Not needing to go to the toilet for a wee immediately before and afterwards.

So this, combined with a glass of wine, led to me falling asleep (as Penny did too, to be fair) whilst watching Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny on DVD with Fishy. Though not sure I missed much ...

... and then an impressive 'nappy episode' before bed.

Also, went to the docs who said there is nothing they can do for her highness' spots, and also we finally had all 6 NCT babies in the pub together in the afternoon ... Penny looks like a giant, especially next to little Clara.

E, E, E & P

A visit from Elle and Eva today. Lovely to see them and to catch up, and to see how big Eva has become. Also an insight into how un-childproof our house is ... that will be fun to sort out once Penny is more mobile(!)

We wandered through Brixton, picking up the elusive washable nappy liners from Mothercare, and then going for a wander around Brixton Market.

Also, have charted some of the data I have about Penny's current 'routine', or lack of it, and good to see there are some trends emerging. And good to remind myself of how helpful it is that she sleeps well in the night, even if there are interruptions.

Had a lovely evening with Fish, enjoying our first really BIG smile from Penny, and playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 together after dinner ... magic!

Visitors and Daily Chores

Decided to make a docs appointment for Penny's spotty skin, as I felt 4 weeks has been enough time to let it sort itself out and it flared up again this morning.

Then a lovely cuppa with Norris' parents Anne & John, who were in London and of course eager to meet Penny. Great to see them.

Then stayed in to receive a package for Charlie, and also one for me it turned out. An afternoon in Brixton, getting jobs done, including getting passport photos of Penny, very funny and NOT flattering ... poor Penny. Also had a read of one of the papers I printed off before I left work about Cafe Direct and their marketing strategy over time.

Charlie was home late again, he seems busier than ever these days, so I indulged in Glee as Penny slept!

Dixit Days

Met with Andrew, Alex, Norris and Liam for brunch and a game of Dixit. I did pretty badly after a good start, but it was still lots of fun. A, A and N had been for a swim, but as Charlie was at a Go tournament, I couldn't sneak off to join them this week even though I am ready to start exercising again now.

Dixit was fun as ever, and then had a wander round Brixton, yet another thwarted attempt to find liners for our reusable nappies ... the whole world seems to use disposables. Then back home for a zoned out afternoon till Charlie came back to find me and Penny zonked out.

He and Kirsten spent the evening playing Heroscape, Charlie's second recently acquired time-consuming super-geeky obsession along with Dungeons & Dragons. Yet more chilling out on my part (Spirited Away and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) while Penny caught up on some sleep having been awake all day.

Sock Monkeys!

Up to see Robin quickly, who was round t say hello to Penny (of course), to pick up Charlie's video camera, and to get a quick lesson in how it works in order to document the final stages of the canal boat creation process.

Then Penny and I spent a lovely day at Norris' house, with Christine, Hannah, Natalie and Becky, to make sock monkeys! Mine was slow progress, as Penny decided to have a very awake, very poopy and very hungry afternoon, but some of them were beautiful! I expect photos will be up on Norris' blog soon enough. And, if I ever finish mine, I will show it off accordingly.

Then we all walked down to the Duke of Edinburgh for drinks, where we were eventually joined by Andrew who was back from Zambia, somewhat tired after a long flight of watching lots of films.

I drank the most I have done for probably around a year, which was both refreshing and a little strange. Penny seemed to cope ok, though slept more soundly than usual after her nighttime feeds.

Glasgow in Victoria

Tried catching up on some sleep in the morning as Charlie had one of his flexidays, only to find that he had not realised we were meeting Erika and cousin Anna at midday ... and I woke at 11:45! Our rushing out was also thwarted by signal delays at Brixton, so we jumped on a bus along with all the other disgruntled Brixtonites.

Lovely to see Anna, who was down from Glasgow for a hen weekend, and we had a lovely lazy (and late) lunch at Cafe Rouge in Victoria Plaza. Penny was a treat as always!

Then we wandered back home for a relaxing evening, as I was feeling a bit out of sorts. I think the cumulative lack of sleep bit is starting to take its toll, as my mind seems a little addled and sleepy most of the time.

Happy Chubby Baby

Penny is now 10lbs! The Health Visitor is very pleased with her progress, which is wonderful news.

Having spoken to a couple of the NCT ladies yesterday, I realise that I need to be careful about the amount of sleep I am losing through nighttime feeds. She was very good to begin with last night, sleeping from 12-4, but then would not go down again after her feed, and was up again at a bit before 7. Which all makes for a slightly sleepy Mummy.

Made sure I cast my YES TO AV vote, and then Matty came round for a cup of tea before we went to join Kirsten at the Ritzy for lunch. Then back to Kirstens for a cup of tea and a delicious slice of a chocolate cake she had just baked. M and K also popped back to the house to help Patrick with getting a wardrobe down the stairs while I fed Penny, v kind of them.

Then to Brockwell Park to visit Di and Noah (14 months) and Sarah and Archie (7 months), two old colleagues of mine and their sons. The both seemed to be dealing with the added complications of walking and weaning very well, though it made me grateful that Penny is still very compact and simple in her demands for the time being.

Scampered back home to see if we could squeeze in meeting Erika and Sam A, who was over briefly from Cardiff, but they didn't manage to get to Brixton as they were still having food in Waterloo, so they decided they didn't have time before Sam needed to catch her train from Paddington. A shame, but hopefully we will see her in the summer.

So am now quite happily taking it easy with Penny, after another busy and social day. And maybe some more sleep is needed. Phew!

The Princess and the Feminist

An interesting blog article in the Guardian about how mothers who believe in female empowerment deal with their daughters when they want to wear pretty dresses and dream of being a princess married to a prince.

Not only does it say that they grow out of it (phew!), but one of the comments also usefully noted that there is no problem with being a princess, as long as you are an independent, empowered, driven, fulfilled one ... and I guess this is the key lesson to remind children of. It is about marrying someone who helps you fulfil your dreams, not just who pays off your credit card and can keep you in a castle.

This all harks back to thinking about our baby being a girl. Of course now I do dress her in pink, as all babies look androgynous!!

Cafe-tastic!

Another 'lie-in' today ... I should really stop calling them that, as I am only trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible given the nighttime interruptions. Had a lovely long chat with Rachel K, good to hear how well she is doing with Freddie and Isla, and then went on to arrange plans with Marianne and Elle & Eva.

Then to the Commercial to meet with Claire & Leo, and Jo & Hermione. All seemed on good form, and Penny was pretty chilled out.

Then met with Emma H at Brockwell Park Lido cafe for a quick catch up, as she is now over a week overdue. She is dealing with it pretty well, and I hope it comes along soon so she doesn't have to make any decisions about inducing.

Then back home to meet up with Uncle Matty, who is in London to say hello to his favourite niece.

The Real World

Up 3 times in the night, so caught up on a bit of sleep. Then on with the day's routine ... breakfast, some writing, tidying, wash and tumble nappies, lunch, then an afternoon project.

Which today was going into London to pick up some bits and pieces. Even with a child strapped to my front, I still get annoyed by the painful pace people walk along Oxford Street.

Finally got hold of some fabulous new red trainers from Timberland, to replace my old beat up blue Timberlands that finally broke a couple of years ago, and to stop me further ruining my running shoes.

Penny was as good as gold, and slept through most of the trip. It is now a month since the birth, and I definitely feel 98% recovered now ... and she is a cuddly-wuddly dream!

Chilled out evening in, having a bath and hanging out with Fish ... bliss!

Where there's a Will, there's a Warlock

A very long list of admin was in place for us to look at this morning, but we only got round to discuss some aspects of the will we need to write. And there are some jolly decisions to be made ... who could/would look after Penny if me and Charlie were to die, do I want to be buried or cremated, and who would our executors be. Jolly! So we didn't make much progress, but we canvassed some parental thoughts and there is lots to ponder over the next little while, though we really can't put it off much longer.

Then we prepared a bit of lunch for two brilliant groups of people, Greg, James C and Kirsten who were over for a Dungeons and Dragons day with Charlie, and Robin, Marion and Erika who popped in to say hello to Penny. Dan also joined us a bit later, and we had a lovely lazy afternoon eating and chatting with a background of fantasy and adventure going on in the background.

Eventually R, M, E and D left, and I chilled out while the others carried on with their quest.

Penny and I headed to the Commercial pub quiz at 7:30, only to find that none of the other NCT crowd were there! So I contemplated for a while, and decided to stay and try my luck. And it was fun! Penny was on very good form, very quiet and happy (and even copying me by sticking her tongue out and giving the biggest smiles), I was very confident in most of the rounds, and the table next to me were very friendly to me and Penny.

And the result? Well, Penny and I (a team of 1.2 people, we decided) scored 96 and the winning team scored 106 ... not half bad*. So then we headed back to find the D&D guys just heading off, and Charlie being philosophical about heading back to work in the morning. Normal life awaits!

*I feel honour bound to explain that we were still last, but that does not undermine our achievement!

Slow Sunday

A slow day, lazing in bed to catch up on some rest, investigating my Sex and the City series 1 DVDs (really quite entertaining, much better than the films).

Then met up with NCT Phil, Jo and Hermione at the Florence, pleased to hear how Hermione's feeding has improved ... they seemed v chilled out.

Then back home to cook and watch Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (not as compelling/good as I remembered it from the cinema) before bed.