Sunday 20 January 2013

Seth - Three weeks



Three week update -

Weight dipped to 8lb 2oz @ 5 days 
8lb 8oz @ 10 days
9lb 2oz @ 16 days   (75th percentile)

Length - 53cm (50th percentile)

Head circumference - 37.9cm (91st percentile)


The token 'I don't like my first bath' photo


Two tiny feet, ten tiny though long toes


Gorgeous skin folds on arms



Our beautiful boy

Why I blog #11

Some things I'd like to remember about how the land lies now Chez McNee -

Daily, Ben clocks up the metres/kilometres running rings around the trunk in the middle of the front room, chattering away to himself as he goes. There is a lot of chat between himself and 'Marty' centred around getting to the back to the future car. At Grandma and Grandad's house yesterday where there was no trunk to circle he just ran laps up and down the room, it was a bit like watching a tennis match. Love my boy has his own world :)
The boy has opinions and they are expressed. we've had to teach him about not saying the word 'stupid' as if he's not happy about something it's 'so stupid' (True, true we have to stifle our giggles)  I was quite pleased to hear that he had modified his language so now if something is not to his liking he says ' it's just too trouble' 


Joseph loves to sing, oh how he loves to sing. Give him a tune to catch and catches it, holds onto it and repeats it over and over. When Nathan took him to the eye clinic (oh yes the boy needs glasses) He said that he sang constantly whilst in the waiting room some line from a new Brittany song, over and over. I was a little concerned the other day as the sound of music was on and he was quite taken with the 'ladyohdeladyohdeladyohdelahehoo' fortunately for us he's been distracted by 'gangham style' instead lol :/ Anyway back to the glasses. Over the Christmas holiday, the boy had a fair few visits to the old hospital. First visit was to Airedale, sporting a badly sprained (though at the time suspected break) ankle courtesy of landing funny off ' a bumpy slide' at the Yorkshire Dales ice cream factory, on the very afternoon Seth came into the world!! We got the call whilst I was still in York hospital waiting for the pediatrician to come and check do the new baby checks on Seth. Talk about timing!! Of course I'm going to anticipate many an A&E visit with three boys, however does the first time we get a cast have to be on a day another enters the world and I cannot get over to him to comfort him? He was fine in the end! Apparently  he charmed the medical staff and was quite pleased with his blue cast. The care at Grandma and Grandad's was better than BUPA with a 7 nurses to 1 Patient ratio much to his liking!! When he arrived home the next day, he hadn't taken a step on the cast. Within an hour of Mum n Dad care he was walking :) Nathan took the boys to school on their first morning back after the hols. Mrs Mudge excitedly asked Joseph
 'Oh Joseph, Have you got some exciting news?' 
'YES.. I need GLASSES!!'
'Oh right, have you got any other exciting news?'
'YES.. I had a pot on my leg!'
'Oh right.. have you any news about a baby'
'Oh yes, I've got a baby brother, he's called Seth'


Seth, oh Seth, he's delish. I love how when he stretches, he arches his back, tucks his knees under his bum and pushes his lips out. I pat his bottom and tell him how I remember this bottom when it was inside. I love his wide eyed expressions with a little round open mouth. His funny faces when he has a little wind, his eys roll back and we get windy smiles. He loves to be held and knows that if he cries he gets held more. He's not that keen on being awake and not held. I love the way he already turns his head to look around,from day one his neck was strong just like his brothers were. His eyes, expression, movements and little squeaks are like Joseph's but his face is longer like Ben's and he has a little chin and upper lip like Ben and Daddy. In fact I think he looks a lot like Daddy and I wonder if the eyes will in fact go brown.  People have said that our boys are like peas in a pod - I like that  a lot :)


(I must try and find the photo of Joseph taken by the Bounty lady which looks so much like this)

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Seth's arrival

On the 28th, Joseph and Ben went with Grandma and Grandad to visit Nana and then have a sleepover. Nathan and I went to visit the Carol the midwife (again) and thought how convenient it would be if the baby decided to come whilst the boys were away. 
Boy free we decided to make the most of it; subway lunch (classy I know) and then to watch The Hobbit we went. Tickets for the 3D showing bought we went to waste some time in Tescos and Dunelm. Sat down for the 4:00 showing and perhaps ten minutes later there it was, that first familiar feeling. Only mild but definitely there and very familar. I laughed as I told Nathan, he laughed and responded; ' You're joking, I've just paid for this in 3D!'  Throughout the film I squeezed his hand whenever the pain came and he checked the clock on his phone. Every ten minutes, like clockwork. 
As we were already in York, after the film (Nathan very pleased to have seen it all) we decided in the interest of fuel consumption to try and take advantage of being close to the hospital. We went for a browse around TK Maxx and Sainsburys but the pains subsided. Tired we went home, fortunately the bridge was open as it had been shut the day before and would close again just days later. At home we watched the second part to a BBC Christmas drama 'Restless' and then really shattered I went to bed. 12:15 I woke up - I wasn't entirely sure but I thought my waters had gone. Quick goggle and decided they had and then the next time the pain came - it had changed in intensity and length. Rang the labour ward and set off. Sent mum a text at 12:33 just as we found signal at the turn off for Kelfield. The contractions then came every 3 minutes on the 15 min trip to the hospital - Oh how well this was timed - no boys to worry about, the bridge was open, no York traffic to contend with - thank you, thank you, prayers truly heard and answered. We arrived at 12:48 (parked on the yellow lines right in front on the door, I refused to let Nathan leave me to park somewhere else) told a bed wasn't quite ready so directed to the waiting room but baby was in no mood to wait. I cried out for help, made it to room 12 and just let the body take over and do it's stuff. At 1:10am our beautiful boy Seth came into the world in what the midwife(Lisa)said was a very controlled way (pat on the back eh!) That feeling of relief, that feeling of a newborn in my arms, the sound of a loud cry, asking what have we got ' a boy' smiles between Nathan and I  - amazing. 








Baby dressed, Mummy bathed, baby fed, phone calls to excited Grandparents made( Mum hadn't even recieved the text I sent earlier so it was a surprise) Went to the maternity ward, prayer of thanks said. Daddy went home, I just stared at my new baby - miracle.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day was another lovely day, Grandparents and Aunties and Uncles arrived with more gifts of lego, playmobil and lightsabers :) (Well done Uncle Tim)



They took their roles as Luke and Anakin very seriously and were very happy with the Jedi robes I'd made them too. I love how Ben makes authentic light saber noises when he activates and deactivates it :)


Uncle Tom did an excellent job of building the red lego starship
and Uncle Tim tried out his gifts.



Christmas Eve






Wayhoo - check me out. Christmas Eve arrived and I had one yes that is ONE present that I had to wrap ( the traditional - get Nathan something from a charity shop. This year I was slightly chuffed which the find of a Super dry shirt for £6). We had a little trip into town then in the afternoon we went over to Granne and Grandad's for the Nativity. Back at home, we snuggled under blankets with the fire burning and watched The Snowman and the snowdog. Under close inspection, a mince pie and milk for Santa and a carrot and bowl of water for Rudolf were laid out. Once satisfied the boys went to bed, under instruction that Santa would need to find them in their own beds before he would fill their stockings :) 

Christmas

Christmas brought big smiles from excited boys who woke up at a respectable 7:30am.
They were very pleased to find filled stockings..


..and presents under the tree.


Yet more lego entered the McNee household and our big boy worked out how to build the blue lego star wars set by himself.


After breakfast of chocolate croissants and hot chocolate, we watched Brave. In the afternoon, Granne and Grandad arrived to make and enjoy Christmas dinner with us - a treat to have my mum's Christmas dinner again for the first time in five years - truly a triumph :)


It was a lovely day, no baby yet to hold but special memories had with our duo.