Wheee! It's Meee!

As this blog was started because of me,I thought I'd contribute a post.

I'm quite happy at the moment, my favourite things are eating, and gurning ready to tell my parents I'm not happy about something. Quite what I'm rarely sure, but there's always something when I'm crying. I like playing games with Mummy and Daddy, hiding what's wrong to give them more of a challenge.

I do like songs - my favourites being "The best things in life are free / But you can save them for the birds and bees / I want Marnie... etc" and "I was born under a wandering star" except when it's sung by my daddy 'cos he sounds like the Kurgan; which as you can see, is quite frightening - and being bounced and played with (thank you to my Auntie Barbara and Cousin Linda for their commitment in showing this to my My Loving Parents who just didn't get it).

However, even though I'm five and half weeks old now, I can't quite manage a camera, so I'll have to leave that to MLP.

Right, off to sleep now. It's been a busy day.

Look forward to meeting you soon.

M

Goodbye sleep my old friend...

And with you goes the sound of silence.*

Our little piece of stardust is coalescing nicely, and with that growth comes change. And with change comes noise. What routine she had has gone out the window, to be replaced by seeming randomness. We're still coping, and truth be told, she's still pretty good, but she doesn't sleep so much now, and that seems to be in 10 minute power-naps. When she's awake it's a mix of silent concentration or gurning ready to split the air with "sonic knives of nigh-unendurable intensity".

I exaggerate a little, but when she's very unhappy Marnie has learned to use her standard issue ear-splitting spectacular. Think cartoon baby face / siren wail and you're not far wrong. Doesn't happen often, but when it does - well, I'm surprised more parents don't suffer hearing loss - like having a hornet in your ear-drum.

Apart from keeping us awake at odd o'clock, we're doing OK. Marnie's lost some weight so we're now almost forcefeeding her rather than pacifying and we'll see what the health visitor has to say next week. The mark on her back isn't as angry, but still there.

C's doing a lot better, the antibiotics seem to have made a big difference. But since the feeding routine has stepped up a gear, she's now getting less sleep, and it's more painful. We'll start expressing and bottlefeeding to see if that works in giving her a break.

My first technology transfer workshop with industry seems to have gone well, although we did realise one mistake - the idea of the whole project is to kick off connections between academics and industry, but we didn't have a way of recording those connections which might go somewhere... improvement required for the next one. Speaking with folks afterwards suggests it worked well though. We've a few meetings to arrange during the wind up of the project for the end of April, and then a new bunch of projects should go forward. Hopefully I'll still be in the School to see what happens.

On lighter notes, as a long time fan of Robin Williams, it's nice to see him still doing his thing.

And it's amazing what you learn when baby-pacifying and surfing at 02:25... apparently cats obey the Law of Grabbity.

* Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel

A Word from the Christine

Well I have finally manged to grab a few minutes to myself (Smurf is upstairs trying to get Marnie to sleep after nearly drowning her during her bath). I expect I won't have long as I am beginning to realise why I have such an affiliation with cows!

Firstly I'd like to express my thanks to all those who have wished us well and sent lovely gifts we are truly overwhelmed.

I'm going to try my best not to ramble on about the whole motherhood experience, however anyone interested in the gory details all you have to do is ask! I can confirm that your brain does wipe the memory of labour from your mind. It is a really strange thing as I remember quite distinctly screaming the place down but really can't recall why! I can also remember offering to have the anesthetist's babies after getting my epidural ( a huge thank you to Louise you were so right!).

I had joked before hand that I would take my work with me and be in labour whilst using brown paper and post its to map out the process! I was otherwise busy! However I have to say that the way in which I was looked after was fantastic, everything was explained very clearly every step of the way and the care was second to none. Well that was until I got into the general ward! But even there they did their best they were just rather understaffed which considering there is a bit of a baby boom going on at the moment bodes well!

I also have to say that I could not have got through it all with out Smurf. His hand must have been black and blue and I know his back wasn't up to much cop having spent a night trying to sleep in a chair! But he kept me sane and string throughout.

It was good to get home after all that and for Marnie and I to find our way together. She is a strong willed little thing and we have had our battles but we are reaching an understanding. We are managing the whole breastfeeding thing but whoever said it was natural had nipples of steel! Literally!

This has been the first week of just Marnie and me and at the moment I have been pretty much tied to the chair not just cause she is very active during the day and likes to see what is going on or otherwise wants to try and suck your pinkie off but also I do not appear to be recovering from the C section as well as hoped. I ended up at the hospital last night after being referred by the doctor for abdominal pain. They are wanting to ultrasound me but they think it is a re occurrence of my urinary infection that I had during my pregnancy. This has meant that I have not been able to get out and about as much as I had wanted only a couple of walks into the village so far. Which Marnie has loved as Smurf says she loves being outdoors but has a tendency to start to cry as soon as you step into a shop or walk through the front door.

Anyway I shall sign off for the moment as I am sure the walking milk machine will be needed any second now!