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I'm so excited! Stephen is taking tomorrow off work and we're going into London to see the F1 cars on Regent Street. Quite a few of my faves are taking part, like David Coultard, Nigel Mansell and Martin Brundle.
Brundle used to race but now commentates for ITV. With his level head and a huge wealth of knowledge, he is definitely someone I respect. At the moment, he commentates alongside James someone-or-other, who says some pretty dumb things, and you get the impression that Martin Brundle just nods and gets on with commentating properly.
So, I'm looking forward to seeing him and DC and Button and Montoya, etc. It should be really good, seeing the cars up close on the streets of London. I hope there aren't too many people there!
This will be Jake's first taste of both F1 and London.
Disappointment
Thanks for the queries concerning my going to see the F1 cars in London but, disappointingly, we decided not to go. As you know, I was quite excited by the thought of going and Stephen was too. We did a little shopping earlier in the day and talked about our afternoon/evening plans.
We talked about whether or not to bring the baby buggy with us. I thought we should (as Jake feels like he weighs a ton if you have to hold him for more than a few minutes), while Stephen suggested that use the baby harness and strap him to Stephen's chest. Stephen said that he imagined the place would be packed with people and that the buggy would make things very difficult.
The more we talked about it, the more the idea seemed crazy... with a baby, of course. Had it just been Stephen and I, we would have gone without giving it a second thought. But Jake is a precious package and the thought of us almost having to guard him from the masses was a bit scary.
So we made the decision not to go and, while it did disappoint me, I'd much prefer the piece of mind that I got this morning when I saw some footage of the cars racing through the streets of London. Half a million people showed up - apparently a lot more than was expected - and there were a few flared tempers. I don't think they led to any arrests, but I still feel better about not having brought Jake there.
Oh well, I'm sure we'll get another opportunity. Anyway, Stephen and I will be leaving Jake with my Mum in July of next year so that we can go to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix. Can't wait!
So pretty!
Jake hasn't slept all day! And now, over-tired, he's in one hell of a mood. It seems like he's been crying since about 3 or 4pm. Nonestop. All our usual tricks are to no avail and we're looking forward to giving him that final feed before bedtime so that we can turn out all the lights and settle everyone down for a peaceful sleep.
I take solice in the fact that he should sleep like a log tonite.
I think that Jake's sleeping pattern has been all screwed up today because he and I weren't home alone, as we usually are. Stephen had today off work and we, along with Jake, went to Tesco to do our groceries this morning (spending a lot, as we'd run out of everything). Then we headed off to Mothercare World to look for a travel cot for Jake. His Moses basket is starting to be a bit snug for him and the strong little man can rock it back and forth when his legs get going full throttle.
We spent £70 of a beautiful travel cot. For younger babies, like Jake, you can raise the mattress and make almost into a crib/cot. And, it's got a changing shelf/table that simply flips up and out of the way. We spent more on it that we envisioned... but it was so pretty! As you can tell, I was the driving force behind the purchase. Now it's set up next to our bed, taking even more room that the Moses basket did, and it looks great. So comfy and cozy. I really hope Jake sleeps well in it.
Here it is:
We also spent £10 on 2 cot sheets, £5 (reduced!) on a foot-less babygro with Winnie-The-Pooh on it and £6.50 (reduced!) on a Tigger outfit. We made sure that we got a 6-9 month size so that he could wear it for Halloween once we were in Canada.
Having spent WAY more than we thought we would before we left the house that morning, we came home and tried to settle Jake down. With his sleep schedule all messed up, he was having none of it. He's a bit sleepy right now, but I'll wait another 45 minutes or so for the bottle. That way, I may be lucky enough to get to sleep straight through until 4am!
Fingers crossed. X
Fingers crossed again!
Jake slept pretty well in his new bed last night. But then, maybe that was just because he was absolutely exhausted! With not having slept much yesterday, he was asleep before his head hit the proverbial pillow. That final nightly bottle knocked him out and gave Stephen and I a bit of respite.
He looked so sweet in his cot as well. He snored lightly and smiled in his sleep. How could you not love that!
Around 1-ish, Jake woke me with his cry. When I got over to him, he was half asleep, but had kicked all his covers off. Not only that, but the baby who had started off lying straight in the cot (head to the head of the bed and foot to the foot) was now lying sideways. Still plenty of room. It's not like he was squished or anything. I think that he woke up because he was cold. So I covered him up again, tucked the covers under him and shh'ed him back to sleep. The bed is obviously big enough for him to not only spin around but also to be able to lose his covers much more easily.
He woke again around 3am, for another feed. Guess what! Sideways again!
And finally, around 6:30am, sideways again. Maybe I'll just put him down that way and he'll end up straight when he wakes up.
I guess what this illustrates though is that I'm going to have to more careful with him when he's lying out on our bed with nothing around him to stop him falling off. He still doesn't roll over though, so I'll have a bit of relief there.
But all in all it was a good night. And he seems to be in a reasonably good mood at the moment. Shall I say...
Fingers crossed again! X
Yawn...
I'm tired. Very tired. I'm going to sleep like a baby tonite. My eyes feel like they have sand in them and I've stupidly been rubbing them for the past hour. I suppose the question really should be: why is someone with such tired eyes staring at a computer screen and not stretched out in bed?
Because Jake is stretch out, asleep, in the centre of our bed and I don't have the heart - or the guts - to move him. He fell asleep there while I was feeding him. My choices were to try to move him into his bed and risk waking him up, or simply to leave him be. I chose the latter.
Why am I so tired? I'm not sure really. I was up in the night with Jake, as usual, and then woke with him around 7-ish. Not such a bad night and not such a bad sleep. But now, I feel pooped.
If I can manage it though, I'll wait another 2 hours before the bedtime feed. That way, he should be out cold until 4-ish.
I hope...
New Toy
We just bought Jake a new mobile from Argos. He's mesmorized! While I type, he's lying on his back, watching this cute thing spin around and play 'Rock-a-bye Baby':
And I have to get up every few minutes to keep the music going.
He's smiling and cooing at it right now. Bliss.
Fame
This blog has brought me messages from all over the globe. I love being contacted by strangers who have had similar experiences to my own or who are just perhaps interested in my take on things. I could have easily kept a private diary of my pregnancy (not online) but I must admit that I liked the idea of being part of a community. I want people to be interested in my ideas, like I am interested in theirs.
I feel very lucky really that I found a place like 20six, where I accidentally came across a few other expectant Mums who were due right round the same time as me. We were able to share our joys and our worries. We asked each other questions and offered advice when necessary.
More recently though, this blog has brought me a bit more than that. I've had my blog - and a picture of Jake - featured in a newspaper. It wasn't a very favorable article but, hey, beggars can't be choosers, right? I've been interviewed for another article in a Canadian newspaper (but I don't know if that one was ever written). And, I've been interviewed on BBC Radio!
And finally, I've been contacted now by a journalist from South Africa, who wants my take on how a baby smells. And I don't mean their dirty nappies! I mean that fresh, sweet smell that you get when you bury your nose in a newborn's hair. Is it something they're born with, this lady wants to know, or does it come from all the lotions and talcs that we use on babies? I've said that they are born with it. It's a freshness. It's the smell of fresh skin before it's been poluted with perfumes and deodorants.
Are we biologically programmed to have emotional responses to the smell of a baby? I've said that I can't speak for men, but I can certainly say that almost every woman I've handed Jake to will hold him close for a cuddle and a quick sniff and then they tell me that they'd love to have a baby. It brings out the broodiness.
Anybody have any thoughts on the subject?
Our little boy is growing up
In the bounty pack that I was given at the hospital when I had Jake, there were some sample packets of 'solid' baby food. Some of it came in jars and some of it came in the powder form in little sachets. There's baby rice, strawberry and peach puree, vegetable casserole puree and a few other flavours. All of these were advised for babies of 4 months of age or older. And, with Jake being born 4 weeks early, I certainly expected to wait a little longer before attempting solids with him.
But, we've tried it and he loved it! He lapped it all up and seemed very disappointed when it was over. He looked up at me expectantly with his mouth hanging open. Stephen, who's had 4 children before Jake, was very impressed that Jake took to it so well, as he recalled his other children being terrors when they were weaning.
This all came about because Jake's feeds should really be bigger and further apart by now. Actually, they are only bigger. He takes about 6 or 7 ounces from a bottle, but wants more within 3 hours. I feel like I'm constantly feeding him. He's always got a fist in his mouth too. Now, I may have been grasping at straws when I suggested feeding him solids and I will admit that I was keen to try it out, but it seems to have worked. His 4-month 'birthday' is four days away, so we may be starting this sooner than suggested, but he's happy and I'm happy. And if it means that he is more satisfied after a meal then I'm more satisfied too.
Tonite's meal was strawberry and peach puree. Tomorrow? A burger, fries and a beer!
Too early?
To continue on from what I was writing the other day about Jake going on solids, and all the ensuing comment exchange with Vic and Minkleberry...
I took Jake to be weighed yesterday (15 lb 9 now, up from 14 lb 4 two weeks ago) and spoke to the Health Visitor there about having tried Jake on solids. She was very dismissive and said that I was trying it too early. Interestingly, she didn't ask me why I thought that Jake might be ready to upgrade, she just squashed the idea immediately.
I thought that that was a bit unfair, as some babies are ready to start early (hell, Minkleberry's Ezra can stand with help!) and she didn't even really listen to me. She said that it should be done closer to six months of age, but my research seems to suggest that solids should not be introduced before 4 months (as babies might not be able to digest it properly) but should definitely be introduced before 6 months (when their bodies start needing more calories and such). And, all babies are different. What one needs now, the other might not need for another 2 months.
So, despite the negativity of the Health Visitor, I still feel confident about trying this out. Jake and I tried it again a few minutes ago, but he wasn't keen. So we've put it away for today and we'll try again tomorrow. I'm not in a hurry; he'll take it when he wants it.
Silly boy
Jake has taken to sucking on the first two firsts of his left hand (we're convinced he's going to be lefty, like me!) and he frequently sticks them so far into his mouth that he momentarily gags.
Silly boy. When will figure this one out?
