We have company...

The Mundays are sleeping over! We had them over for dinner and we are having a little New Year's Eve party--the kids are asleep upstairs. Our guest room is getting put to use for the first time since mom and dad left.

Things are going well here. Dylan continues to thrive on his bananas and milk. He is sleeping about 11 hours a night now, and Martin and I are LOVING it. He doesn't wake up until around 8:30 or 9:00 am. Tonight we even got a special treat--he went to sleep without crying for an hour or so. We've decided to have the Mundays over every night as they seem to be our lucky charm for getting Dylan to sleep.

Christmas was a great day, and Boxing Day was good as well. We spent both days over at the Gilberts' house, and got some great presents. Our Christmas was much more modest than it has been in the past, but we still enjoyed it. We've got some serious cleaning done in the house and bought some good stuff at Ikea. We also visited with Martin's friend (ex-girlfriend) Charlotte. I really like her though--weirdly enough. I never thought I'd get along with one of Martin's ex girlfriends, but she's a lovely person.

Sorry--this is a really rambling post. I basically just wanted to say that we're all doing well, have enjoyed Martin's time off work, and loved our Christmas gifts. And I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. I can't believe it's only a few hours away from 2008!

Well it is in fact Christmas morning, and we have had a jolly old time with young master Dylan. He opened his first ever Christmas present, although not the one we hoped (we bought him something on ebay but we did leave it a little late so it hasn't arrived yet - pictures will follow though!)

"how do i get this infernal wrapping off!!"

We have opened our gifts to each other here and also Dylan's as well. Thank you Sharlene for the smuggled goods, which Jamie found very amusing. The Frog is adorable too, as you can see below!

Dylan really likes his frog - especially the blue ring

Velicia and Eric bought us a delightful wall decoration which will be going up very soon, although we do need to find out if it removable before it gets applied as we may be changing the wall colour and don't want to have to lose it. But we definitely love it.

Hope everyone out there in the big wide world has or is having a great Christmas day and we wish very much that we could be with you! See you all soon-ish!

Extreme close up in the bath. Check out those baby blues!

Dylan enjoys his second banana. I couldn't get a video clip of his first one as Martin was at work. He LOVES his solid food!

"Daddy, I'm too cute to drown!"
Dylan and daddy have a laugh in the bath.

Dylan enjoys some tummy time. He'll be crawling before we know it!

Sorry about the delay...

I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last update. It's just been mental around here--pretty much as soon as I get Dylan to bed I've been crashing. But things are going well.

It's hard to believe that it's nearly Christmas! Martin's last day at work was yesterday--the Place is closed until January 2nd. Dylan and I are really looking forward to having him home with us for a while. They had a good run up to Christmas, with Martin working 60 hour weeks. Hard for me, but we need the money, so it's been good.

I'm doing ok. Coming down with a cold, but other than that I'm good. I'm looking forward to Christmas--everything is wrapped and under our lovely Christmas tree. I think I bought some stuff that Martin will like, and I'm pretty confident about the gifts we bought for family members (can't believe you opened yours early, mom!). As long as the mother in law likes hers, that's all that matters to me. She is the one who is the most difficult to please.

In Dylan news--we have had a full week of GREAT times. I started giving him banana on Wednesday, and he loves it! I am mixing a little mashed banana with baby rice and my milk, and he gobbles it down every afternoon and then feeds some more. He is sleeping more at night, AND he is taking naps during the day. He's so much happier now and I enjoy feeding him. See the video clip of Dylan having his banana. We are going to give him mashed potatoes on Tuesday.

Anyway, I am going to post a few pictures now and then go to bed. Dylan just dropped off to sleep. Just one more thing--Dylan fell asleep at about half past ten last night and didn't stir until 8:30 this morning. I love this sleeping thing!

Dylan is starting to play with his toys now! Of course, he only shows interest in things he can fit in his mouth. Still, my little guy is so much fun to watch playing!

This woman's name is Jennifer. I met her at WI (That's Women's Institute) and she reminded me so much of my dear friend Becca (see House of Wilcox Rocks) that I just had to get a picture. She's lovely and I think we'll end up being pretty good friends.

Dylan and daddy decorate the Christmas tree

Dylan and Marley, the next door neighbor. Marley was born just 8 days before our little guy, is about 4 inches shorter, and weighs 1 1/2 lbs more.

Dylan pulling a Michael Jackson as he rides downstairs for the day in Mommy's laundry basket.

Mommy, me and the Christmas tree!

A whole new me!

Well, maybe that's a bit dramatic. My hair started falling out about 3 weeks ago (post pregnancy hair loss--ugh!), and it has been driving me nuts. So I took the plunge and got it cut yesterday. Check out the before and after pics! Sharon (the hairdresser at The Pamper Place) cut nearly 12 inches off my hair. And I wasn't at all sad to see it go. I feel like I just lost 10 lbs and I feel cute again. I almost felt like I was hiding behind all that hair.

The family is doing well. We got a Christmas tree, and it's up in our front room though not decorated yet. I think Dylan is really going to enjoy the lights.

I'm going to bed now, since the little monkey is asleep. He's stopped sleeping through the night. He was awake at 3 am last night. Argh!!! I almost wish he'd never slept through at all as I was just getting used to sleeping all night long. At least he goes right back to sleep as soon as he's fed. I want a nap!!!

The old hair

The new haircut!

Not much going on...

Dylan is sound asleep--he actually went down without a fight tonight. As he gets older and more aware of his surroundings, he sleeps less and less. He just wants to be up and playing and looking around. But I find that I don't mind so much, now that he is a happy and smiling baby.

For the last three months people have been asking me if he's a good baby. I've very dutifully said yes, but now that he actually IS being a good baby, I'm beginning to realize just how high maintenance he's been. Honestly, no wonder I was at my wits' end! I felt like maybe I was just being a big baby about the whole motherhood thing--that maybe something was wrong with me for not loving every second. Now I know that it wasn't me--he was a very demanding little guy and took up every minute of my day. Now he will happily sit and entertain himself for 30-45 minutes at a time, and he really is a joy.

I'm starting to feel like a human being again instead of just a milk cow and zombie. And the more Dylan and I are together, the more we are learning to live with each other. He smiles more for me than for anyone else. It irritates Martin, but I love it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I adore my baby! He has totally taken over my life. Every waking minute is spent with him and I am consumed by his care. But we have a good time together, and even though I've never worked so hard in my life I have also never done anything as rewarding. There are times when I wish I was still childless (I never thought I'd ever say that!) but those times are few and far between. And when Dylan smiles at me, or giggles and bashfully looks away with that adorable little grin of his, my heart melts. I can't imagine not being his mother.

So, I think Dylan has discovered that he is totally irresistible and i think he is mounting a major charm offensive against the whole world. Just recently I think he has been working on his "what me, I didn't do it look!" And you know what? it is working how can you stay mad at this face!

What, little old me? How could you possibly think I have ever done anything wrong!?

OK, now that you have entertained me, I am finished with you. You may go. Well, be gone!

So you see, no-one can resist me. My plans are falling into place, first Barton, then England. Soon, the world will follow! Mwoa ha ha ha ha ha!

.....Dylan, I told you, no world domination until AFTER your second birthday! Hi, Martin here. Now that I have Dylan sorted, let me know what we have been up to. Christmas plans are heating up here in Barton. We had the Christmas Fair here last weekend which wasn't very popular from what our local publications would have us believe, but I had a great weekend as we were super busy at work. Now that December has arrived, the Christmas party season is hot on it's heels. We had one at The Place last night and they are going to be coming thick and fast for the next few weeks. Which means I am going to be a busy bunny for that time, which is good and bad. Bad because I will be at work a lot more. Good because it will help our bank balance a lot!.

Jamie, Dylan and I are looking forward to the Christmas Market in Lincoln next weekend. It is one of the biggest in Europe and is awesome. WE will try to have some pictures for you if the weather is good. Going to go now so I can watch the best show in the world; MATCH OF THE DAY!!!!

Smiley Baby...

Dylan woke up on Saturday morning and decided to be a happy, smiley little baby. Not that he wasn't adorable before, but he was really cranky in the afternoon and early evening, and made my life difficult from about 3 pm until he went to bed at about 9 pm. Now he is cute. Still high maintenance (we have to hold him and play with him all evening or he cries), but now he is cute when we play with him. He has started giggling and smiling a lot more now, and as he becomes more aware of his surroundings, I don't have to entertain him as much. He likes just looking around and taking it all in. It's a welcome break for me!

I got him weighed at the baby clinic yesterday. He's now tipping the scales at a whopping 15 lbs. 3 oz. He still isn't fat, though he's got chubby little cheeks. He's really long and lean, with just a nice amount of baby fat. I really do have the cutest baby in the world. I really hope he holds on to his cuteness and he is a good looking little boy, teenager, and man. Life tends to be a little bit easier if you are attractive.

Martin and I are both doing well. Life is pretty monotonous at the moment, but it'll be busier and more exciting over Christmas. We've got the Lincoln Christmas market coming up, and Martin has a week off work between Christmas and New Years. The house is getting better--I'm taking an interest in making it look like a home now that it's not a builder's yard in the front room, and it's starting to look really cozy.

In other news, I have seized the financial reins back from Martin. He has been in charge of our finances since we moved here, and he hasn't done a very good job. Now that I am at home and have (a little bit) more free time than him, I am taking over again. My goal is to have our credit card paid off as soon as possible and to know EXACTLY what's going in and out of the bank each month. Once the card is paid off, we'll take a trip over to visit the family. It's only been a week since I took over, but we're already doing a little bit better. We've certainly spent less money this week than we normally do. The better I am at managing our money, the sooner we can come over for a visit. That's a pretty good incentive for me to budget well. I want to come and visit the family SO BAD!!!

Anyway, Dylan is crying and needs some attention. I'll try to get some more pictures and maybe a video clip posted soon. The little guy is getting so big and so adorable!

Random picture of someone's garden in Barton. I saw it and had to laugh. Take a closer look--there are 13 garden gnomes, plus a few fairies and a turtle. I just thought to myself, someone mentioned about 12 years ago that they liked gnomes, and that's all they've gotten for Christmas since then!

Dylan-chillin' in his Reebok classics and little hoodie. Grandad Gilbert says he looks like a chav. I think he looks adorable.

Dylan's baby blues--that's right, I have a blue eyed baby. It's a miracle, and his eyes are SO beautiful!

Thanksgiving...

A quick and early happy Thanksgiving to all the friends and family in the U.S.A. I am hosting a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but it really is going to be dinner--5:30pm since it's (obviously) not a holiday over here. I've got one pie done and another in the works, plus all of my vegetables are chopped and ready to cook tomorrow. The turkey is thawed in the fridge as well, and I am ready to cook everything tomorrow. Of course, there will only be 5 people for dinner so that takes away some of the stress of entertaining. Plus, nobody over here is really bothered. They're pretty much just showing up for the meal. Cathy told us she was coming, then made other plans! But now she's coming again, which is good.

Dylan is upstairs crying his eyes out. Since he got sicki (a little cold--nothing serious) he hasn't been settling very well at night. Once he is asleep he stays asleep for 9 or 10 hours, but getting him there is quite a chore. We bathe him, feed him, cuddle him, burp him, change him--pretty much do everything we can think of--and then let him cry for 45 minutes to an hour. I will just say at this point that I find it much easier to just let him cry than I ever thought I would. I just feel sorry for the neighbors. We don't have the thickest walls in the world!

In other Dylan news, he is now weighing in at a whopping 14 lbs. 13 oz. His weight gain seems to have leveled off a little bit. He only gained 3 oz. last week instead of nearly a pound. And that slowed weight gain is even WITH the addition of baby rice to his diet. That's right--Dylan is having solids (sort of). I started giving him the cereal on Saturday after much deliberation. I loved the fact that he was exclusively breast fed, but I was sitting and feeding him for about 3 hours straight every afternoon, and it was just too draining for me. I'm making the cereal up with breast milk though, and that makes me feel a little bit better about the whole thing. Anyway, he loves the cereal and is happy and healthy. And now I only have to feed him for about an hour in the afternoon. That's a big improvement.

Martin is getting a lot done on the house--the entrance hallway is nearly ready for plastering, and once that's done we will block off the old door and open up the new one. Exciting stuff! We also finally hung a towel rack, toilet roll holder, and mirror in the bathroom and got a great rug for Dylan's nursery (hooray for Ikea--the greatest store ever)!

Anyway, must dash. I need to make my pumpkin pie still. I just needed to update everyone. Next time it'll be pictures. Dylan gets cuter every day!

My first night out...

Last night I went to WI (Womens' Institute) and Martin stayed home with Dylan. He bathed him, fed him, and put him to bed without me, and he did a GREAT job. When I got home Dylan was in bed asleep and Martin was playing on the internet and watching Gladiator on TV. The only way it could have been any better is if he had tidied the house up a little bit!

We had the weekly weigh in today, and Dylan is now up to 14 lbs. 10 oz. He's so long though that he doesn't look fat at all. He does have a cute double chin and round little cheeks, but he's a long, lean looking baby.

Dylan also has his first passport. It's a british one, as we were just able to send away for that one and didn't have to make an appointment at the embassy like we'll need to for his American passport. His picture looks so silly, but adorable.

The two of us have been getting steadily better all this week, and now feel almost normal. Dylan had his first ever medicine (Calpol--it's like children's Tylenol I think). It was strawberry flavored, and he LOVED the taste of it. I'm still debating whether or not to start giving him baby rice cereal. I'm so torn! Any advice on that?

Incidentally, I love getting advice from people who already have kids. Having never done this before, I'm a little bit unsure most of the time. Keep the comments coming!!!

Here's one of our little 4 day old Dylan--don't think I posted it before, but I really like it and wanted to share!

Dylan giggles...a test video clip taken on our digital camera. Feedback would really be appreciated on this one!

Dylan's First Trip to the Swimming Pool...

First there was the hassle of waking him up earlier than usual and feeding him VERY quickly. Dad was taking the morning off work to go with us, so we had to be less flexible than usual with his morning sleep. Then there was the adventure of getting him into his Little Swimmers nappy and swim trunks. Then, there was the automatic shower at the Scunthorpe Leisure Centre pool. THEN, we got into the water.

He was a little bit unsure at first--he had never had that much room to move in the water before--well, not for a LONG time anyway. But ten minutes into the whole experience, he was starting to smile. We took him into very shallow water and let him push against the bottom of the pool--he was actually trying to stand up. And he looked so cute in his little swim trunks! Sadly, cameras were not allowed at the pool due to the intense fear of pedophiles, but take my word for it, he was adorable!

Poor little guy is sick now, and so am I. Taking care of a baby when you are sick and want nothing more than to curl up in a ball and sleep for three days is HARD WORK! But we are managing. Last night he screamed for 5 hours straight. He just wanted to be held and would cry if I set him down even for a second. Most of the time he cried if I was holding him, too. Tonight he is still awake and he should have been asleep over an hour ago. Typically, I am on my own since Martin is still at work. But I am just letting him cry, because I'm stressed out and will not be able to calm him down anyway. Can't wait for daddy to come home!

But both of us are on the mend, and once again it's a case of two steps forward and one step back. Just when I start to love being a mother, something happens that makes it incredibly difficult. We'll get over it--just as soon as we can shake this cold!

An amazing night...

Last night Dylan went to sleep at 9:30 and he slept until, get this, 7:20 am! He slept all night long! Of course, since I am breastfeeding him, I did NOT sleep all night long. But I didn't wake up until 5:30 am, and I just expressed some milk and made sure Dylan was still breathing.

The little man got moved into his nursery on Wednesday night. Martin decided to give it a try and promised me he'd be the one to collect him for his middle of the night feed (since that was my main objection to moving him into his own room--I didn't want to have to go all the way in there to get him for his feeds). He seems to settle so much better in there, and it is actually easier for me and Martin too. Though that first night was strange. It was so weird to be alone with Martin in our bedroom as Dylan has been with us for two months straight now.

We went to the Ulceby village auction this weekend, and a good time was had by all. We got a box of childrens' books, a new stand lamp, and a box full of various bags, and it was all a bit of a bargain.

Dylan and I also went and visited with my friend Sam. She is 37 weeks pregnant and has really bad SPD. She has been housebound for the last 4 weeks, and I think we were both really grateful for adult company (her husband is at work all day on Fridays and Saturdays as well).

So that's the update, and everyone enjoy the pictures!!!

Our concerned little man in his "big boy" clothes (all dressed up for church). Martin has decided that he likes it when Dylan looks more like a baby and less like a little boy, but I think he looks cute both ways!

This photo was taken yesterday. We LOVE this little sleep suit. Dylan looks absolutely fabulous in red. And in green. And in white. And in blue. And in...well, you get the picture!

I don't remember who gave us this hat, but Dylan looks too adorable for words in it. He should be the next baby Gap poster child!

Two steps forward and one step back...

Typing this from the Mundays' house, and this is the first time all day I haven't had a screaming baby on my hands. We seem to have a couple of really great days, and then a terrible one. I got a phone call in the morning that woke Dylan up from his nap, and he didn't go to sleep for the rest of the day. He was awake about an hour and a half before he normally gets up, and boy did he let me know about it. He's been so tired all day, but he would NOT go to sleep.

We are over here doing fun family home evening Halloween things. I am making spider cider and scary dogs--fun stuff! I'm having to improvise, but it should still be good. It all takes me back...I miss Halloween as a child. I can hardly wait until Dylan is old enough to dress up and take trick or treating!

Ahh, the bliss of a routine...

I never thought I would be rushing home every night to get here by 8:30 so I could bathe my baby. I never in a million years thought that I would be so inflexible, dropping everything so we didn't mess up his bedtime routine. But I do now!

It's just shy of 10 pm, and Dylan is asleep. This is good, but is the result of nearly 2 hours of hard work and effort, all to get him to sleep until 2:30 or 3 am. We start his bed time routine some time between 8 and 8:30, and he is usually asleep by 9 or 9:30. It is hard work to keep my little man happy, and if leaving right in the middle of a game or turning the television off in the middle of my favorite program is what it takes, I'll do it. If we break from his established routine, even for a single night, Dylan is a nightmare for the next two days. It's all good for Martin, he's at work all day. But I pay for it, and it's not pretty. I just don't think Martin understands that!

Dylan's weekly weigh in was good--he's tipping the scales at 13 lbs. 8 oz. He also had his first round of immunizations on Friday. He was SO good--he only cried for a few minutes (I fed him right after he had the shots--that always shuts him up!) and was just a little bit cranky that night. He's got more shots in 4 weeks, and then more when he's 16 weeks old.

We're doing well--all of us. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. The choir are singing, and our pianist has had surgery and will probably not be there. So I will be playing the piano for sacrament meeting AND for the choir to sing, and it's complicated with Dylan. He is usually doe for a feed during sacrament meeting, and cries like crazy. Last week the choir sang as well, and it was a farce--nobody paid attention to our singing because they were too busy watching my baby get passed around to three or four different people as he was crying and inconsolable. I really need to be released, but so far nobody seems to see that except me and Martin--and Dylan, of course!

Need to wrap things up here--I need some beauty sleep desperately! I think I would do just about anything for a full night's sleep--or even about 6 hours uninterrupted. But I'll settle for my beautiful baby boy and the three hour blocks I'm currently getting.

This motherhood gig...

I think I'm finally starting to enjoy this motherhood thing. It's only taken me two months to get to this point, but I'm happy to be here.

Don't get me wrong--it's still the hardest thing I've ever done. Dylan still isn't easy to take care of and I still sometimes resent the fact that I have virtually NO time to myself. I hate that I am having to type this with one hand. But there are brief moments every day that make it worth all the difficulty. Like right now, when my beautiful little man is snuggled up in my arms, snoring gently in my ear.

Dylan is completely dependent on me-especially since he is breast-fed! And while the world thinks he is not capable of feeling something as complicated as love, his face lights up when he hears my voice. He smiles for me when I look at him. He doesn't do that for anybody else, and if that's not love, I don't know what is!

Our happy family in Trafalgar Square. Just the three of us--oh yeah, and Nelson's Column!

Dylan's first train journey

Dylan plays Hugh Hefner--lounging!

Dylan hangs with his 2nd cousins

An exciting weekend!

Martin whisked me and Dylan away to London for the weekend, and it was GREAT! We are paying for it now as Dylan's routine was totally disrupted and he's been a nightmare all day, but it was so nice to get out of the house for a little while. Dylan may need his routine, but it's boring the life out of me.

We stayed at a lovely little B&B called Springwell Barn that was a close drive to a Tube station. We started off early(ish) on Sunday morning to arrive in greater London at about 1 pm. We were in the City for about 2, and met up with our friend Adam and met his girlfriend Marie for the first time. We wandered, saw the sights, ate dinner at the greatest Chinese restaurant on the planet, etc.

Dylan was really good on Sunday, and was great on Monday until about 3 pm. Then he just got fed up of being in his sling and was pretty much a cranky beast for the rest of the day. We even struggled on the car journey home. But Dylan got fed in some interesting places, and changed in some even MORE interesting ones (how many people can say they had their diaper changed on the grass outside Westminster Abbey?).

I'll try to get some pictures posted later this week. Right now I need to get Dylan ready for his bath. He should be waking up for his last feed of the night soon. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still doing well!

The Weekly Weigh-In...

The health visitor came in yesterday and took Dylan's vital statistics. He is 23 inches long and weighs 12 lbs. 2 oz. He gained a full pound last week. It's a good thing he did, considering how much I've fed him in the last five days. He has about three hours every day when all he wants me to do is feed him.

Today we celebrated me being able to drive again by going into Alan Dick and showing him off. All the ladies ooohed and ahhed over Dylan--he was quite charming. It was so great to be able to drive again, and we did a little bit of shopping while we were in town any way. Seriously, so nice to get away from Barton for a few hours. I've felt like a virtual prisoner since about 2 weeks before Dylan was born.

We've got choir tonight, and I'm not looking forward to it at all. Last week was a nightmare!!! Pam, the choir pianist, has health problems and can't always make it. Well, whe wasn't there last weekand I spent 1 1/2 hours trying to feed Dylan (that's his fussy time of night), teach new songs to the choir, and play the piano all at once. Not to mention we don't get home until WAY past Dylan's bed time and it throws his routine all off! Plus, I've got the Christmas program to contend with and nobody in the choir will help me with it, or even give me any ideas. I so need to be released!

I've been seriously getting into the motherhood thing this week! Dylan and I are getting more used to each other, and he recognizes the sound of my voice now. He is smiling at me big time now, and staying home with him is much more rewarding now. I'm actually beginning to feel like a competent mother, and I could seriously get used to the way that feels. Not to mention the fact that he occasionaly lets me set him down now so I can get a few things done around the house.

I can't believe the little man is six weeks old. And I can't believe it's taken me this long to be OK with being his mommy!

Good News...

Martin isn't going to work at Winteringham Fields any more. He resolved things with the owner at The Place (Nadine--Sally the psycho one sold her share to Nadine. That's part of the reason he decided to stay). I'm so relieved. Martin is happy with the changes that are planned so isn't too upset about not going, and it will be so much better for our family! Hooray!

Lots to tell and not much time to tell it!

Numero Uno: Dylan is gaining weight! He is now 11lb 2oz. that is a gain of 7oz. weight gain rules

OK that's that out of the way. the other good news is that Dylan sleeps. a lot. i left for work at 8.30 and he was still asleep at 11. then when he fell asleep at 2 he didn't wake up again until 5.30! Woo hoo!

We also had a company come and look at our roof today and to our surprise and relief it isn't going to cost thousands of pounds! instead, it is only going to cost a hundred. and it may only take and our or two. Yay! I just love saving money.

On a less great scale, job stuff is up in the air again. We now only have one person in charge and she is actually going to be involved and try and improve things and - amazingly enough - spend some money. So we are having a serious rethink about me going to winteringham fields.

that is all for now I think. Catch y'all later (that y'all was with an English accent!)

Uncle Jace and Dylan

Dylan's blessing day--16th September, 2007

Having a bath with Grandma!

Such a serious little guy!

Dylan's big weigh in...

I took Dylan to the baby clinic at the Children's Centre on Wednesday for his weigh in. We also went to the breastfeeding support group, which was really good. The health visitor who weighed him was really impressed by how alert he was and how great his color is. She was also impressed by his weight. My little 9.5 lb. baby has grown--he now weighs a whopping 10 lbs. 11.5 oz. I was so pleased to hear that, especially since he was so slow to regain his birth weight. Well, he's caught up now and is getting a little more plump every day. I can hardly believe how big he's getting!

This morning the little guy actually rolled over onto his tummy all by himself. I was amazed! I turned around for just a second, turned back and he was on his belly. I'm pretty sure that 4 weeks old is really early to be doing that. I am thinking that maybe he'll reach all those baby milestones early. He's already started doing that social smiling thing.

In Martin news, he has decided to take the job at Winteringham Fields. He'll start there in two weeks. I'm not happy about it as it means we'll have even less time together than we already do, but we'll make it work. He's excited anyway. I'm not thrilled that I'll be spending 10-12 hours 5 days a week home alone with a newborn baby, but I'm sure I'll adjust.

Anyway, the little monkey just woke up and is wanting attention. I'll try to post a few pictures one handed. We'll see how that goes.

The Departure...

After two lovely weeks over in England, my parents and Jace flew back to the good ol' USA today. It has been great to have them, and I was sad to see them go. It was a little bit tough to have company that soon after my c-section, but it actually turned out to be a good thing as it forced me to push myself a little bit for a faster recovery. Plus, mom took Dylan a few times when he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to play but I was too tired to cope.

So here's my post to say thank you to them for all they did for our little family while they were here. And I also need to say thank you to everyone who sent us lovely stuff for Dylan. We loved all of the stuff. Dylan is already an extremely spoiled little boy, and it's great.

Anyway, so now it's back to our routine (or back to trying to establish a routine). I'm taking Dylan in to the baby clinic tomorrow to get weighed, so I'll keep everyone posted there. Oh, and Martin has handed in his notice at The Place and has been offered a job at Winteringham Fields as well as been contacted about a management position at Costa Coffee in Hull. I'll keep everyone posted on that as well. Me, well, I'm a housewife now so all of my posts will probably be about Dylan and Martin--my two best boys!

Adjusting to life with Dylan...

Another really quick post--I just wanted everyone to know that we're doing really well. Mom and dad are here visiting (with Jace) and it's great to have them here. A little exhausting, but great. Mom is actually cooking dinner right now and Martin is holding Dylan (who has only slept for about 45 minutes today) giving me a little much needed free time.

I'm recovering well from the c-section. Every day gets a little better, though my body is still so tired that I struggle every day for the energy to do housework and cook meals. My incision is nearly healed now, and I might be able to drive again in about a week--depending.

We've had a few little scares with Dylan--we thought he'd had extreme weight loss, but it turned out that the midwives' scle was off. Plus he's been doing this weird twitching thing, and we had to take him in to the hospital for that. The pediatrician says it's benign Myoclonus, and he should grow out of it. At any rate, he still twitches but he has regained his birth weight plus now, and he is still a really good eater. Especially today. I think he must be going through a growth spurt.

Must run now--I feel guilty for not helping with dinner or the baby. He have some more cute pictures that I'll post soon!

Our happy little family!

Dylan and I enjoy a little cuddle that doesn't involve my breast being out--what a relief!!!

Martin cuddles Dylan after he's done feeding. It's the only time he gets to hold Dylan when he's not crying!

VERY quick post...

Martin, Dylan, and I are all doing really well. It's hard to believe that he's nearly 2 weeks old! Dylan is a brilliant baby--he only cries if he's hungry. Unfortunately, he's hungry right now and I can't type with one hand. I'm going to have to feed him soon. Please enjoy the pictures until I can write more.

Dylan John Gilbert's birth story...

Well, it’s been nearly a week since I went into labour, and I finally feel up to writing down the whole experience without crying like a baby myself!

Last Monday was a bank holiday, and Martin and I went to the Cleethorpes seafront with some friends for a picnic. We had a great time, though I was really tired and feeling VERY heavily pregnant. I was eight days over due at that point. But we did a lot of walking, and I played catch with Martin and ate about half a pineapple (you never know what’s going to work, right?).

That night I felt a little bit off. I just put it down to the very active day we’d just had. But then I got up for my nightly 4 am toilet run. On my way back from the bathroom I felt a warm gush. I knew I hadn’t peed myself because I had literally just peed one minute before. So that was it—my waters broke on the upstairs landing about 3:45 am on Tuesday the 28^th..

I woke Martin up, and we called the hospital. They paged the Barton team midwives, and we called my parents and his parents to let them know that things were starting. We were tired, but REALLY excited!

When the midwife arrived at 5:00 am, she did an internal exam. Having an exam in my own bedroom was so bizarre! I was still absolutely gushing amniotic fluid, and it had a greenish tinge to it, so she told us that we needed to get to the hospital fairly soon in case it was meconium even though I wasn’t having any contractions yet. So I got a shower and we made our way to the hospital.

We arrived just after 6 am, and by the time we got there I was having contractions every 5 minutes. They weren’t very painful, but they were definitely noticeable. We got booked in, but had to wait until noon to be seen by a doctor because there were two emergency c-sections being done that morning. So we went for a little walk, got some breakfast, bounced on the birthing ball, etc. My contractions kept getting more painful, but nothing I couldn’t manage.

I was finally seen at noon, and things went rapidly downhill from there. The doctor started me on Syntocin to increase the frequency of my contractions, and it worked a treat. Unfortunately, though I was contracting every 3 minutes or so, my cervix was not dilating. In fact, it never dilated to more than one cm. I tried gas and air, but it just made me sick and I spent the rest of my labour experience vomiting every 30 minutes or so. The pain became too much to bear at around 6 pm, so I asked for an epidural. Unfortunately, the anesthetist was assisting in yet another c-section, so I didn’t get the epidural until about 8:30 pm. Finally, after having regular contractions for around 20 hours (about 12 of those hours being hard contractions) the doctors decided to do an emergency c-section. I was so happy that I cried. I honestly don’t think I would have had the energy to give birth naturally at that point anyway, even if I could have!

I had a spinal block (the anesthetist said that my epidural was “patchy” and had probably only been working at about 30%) and it was so good to not be in pain any more. They started prepping me for surgery at about 12:30 am on Wednesday the 29^th of August, and Dylan John made his appearance at 1:00 am exactly.

It was hard for me to not be able to hold him right from the beginning. I just wanted to hold him close and kiss him. But Martin was great—he cut the cord and then held Dylan for me to see him the whole time they were stitching me up and I was in recovery being observed. I finally got to hold him at about 3 am, and it was more wonderful than I ever imagined.

We spent all day Wednesday and Thursday in the hospital and came home Friday evening at around 6 pm. They wanted me to stay another day, but I just wanted to get home. The staff were wonderful—especially the midwife who attended the birth and the one who helped me establish breast feeding on Wednesday morning. After months of worry and disgust with the NHS, they totally redeemed themselves in my eyes.

Dylan is absolutely perfect, and I have spent the last 6 days falling madly in love with him. It took a little while for me to realize that this perfect little boy is the baby I’ve been carrying all this time. I think it’s because I was so detached from the actual birth. But we have definitely bonded now, and even though he still scares me sometimes and I am completely overwhelmed by parenthood, I have never been so happy in my life. We waited over 5 years for this little guy, and he was worth all of it!

We're Home...

That's right, Dylan and I are home now. Technically I should have stayed in hospital another day, but I was so tired of being in the hospital and just wanted to go home. We were OK'd to go by the doctor and the pediatrician, and we high tailed it out of there as fast as possible. Of course, we had to wait for Dylan to eat first, and that took absolutely ages! He is breast feeding every 1 1/2 to 3 hours, and he takes about 45 minutes each time.

It is so good to be home!

I will try to post the details of my birth experience later, but it's nearly feeding time at the zoo (and bed time for tired mommies). Tomorrow maybe--depending on how Dylan and I are doing!

Dylan in his big boy clothes.
The little piglet all dressed up and ready for his first drive with daddy at the wheel.
Mommy in real clothes for the first time all week! Ready to get out of the hospital!

Late Night bleariness...and the baby isn't even home yet!

OK so it is 1.30 in the morning and i really should be in bed, but i realised if I didn't do this now, then I would probably forget and you would all be mad at me so here we have a little picture gallery so we have plenty of pictures of the man of the hour.

EXTREME CLOSE UP!!! Actually, possibly the cutest little boy ever, and you get to see him really close

".....Yes doctor, this is the cutest baby in the world, and his gorgeous mother!"

Here we have evidence that I do have one tender bone in my body, and my son put it there.

Just about the most awake he has been ever!

Grandma and of course, Dylan

Presenting FOUR generations of the Gilbert family.

Big tough Dad softened up by a tiny bundle of joy

And now we have the fall collection, as modelled by a dashing new addition to the modelling world....
Slightly risque shot, but i thought it was actually quite touching, and I think they are both very happy right here.

So that is our little exhibition over, and now I really must retire. Hope you enjoy!

It's a GIANT boy!!!

Huzzah! We're parents! After an eventful and emotional day, our son arrived at 1am Wednesday 29th august weighing in at a staggering 9ib 5.5oz! What was she feeding him on! Unfortunately Jamie had to have a Cesarean section so she will be in hospital for a few days, hence me posting the pictures but i have a feeling she may post to you all from her hospital bed (which she can do due to the wonders of modern technology)

Thought i would let you guys see a picture of Jamie whilst happy and having contractions - she didn't want any later on for some strange reason!

Now the part I am sure you all wanted to see; Our boy, Dylan John!


Isn't he fabulous! He was pretty quiet, which I hope he keeps up. He has all toes and fingers, plus no Loughley toe, and there are no abnormalities. All we have to do now is raise him right. Easy, right?!

Rest assured there will be many more photos to follow in the next few days

Ciao