Haines

This is the end...(nearly)

2011-03-08T13:52:00.000Z

And the project nears completion....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eVNJwF9SY8

Walk on by...

2011-03-08T11:06:00.002Z

Carpets go down....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nellBSlRptw

Our house, in the middle of our street

2011-01-26T21:27:00.002Z

The building work continues apace - video update for Paulo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0qc5GTX1v8

Macho macho man

2011-01-18T12:28:00.006Z

A video and pics as requested by Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERSAepX-SV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiJFsbB18SA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDkQBV5Btq4

Hello! It's good to be back!

2009-04-28T19:48:00.018Z

Sorry for the ludicrously long absence. Just caught up with work / home busy-ness.

Photos of our recent trip to see Thomas the Tank Engine, and Joe's birthday party at home this weekend. All good!

Try walking in my shoes

2009-02-11T12:50:00.004Z

So Sylvie is officially walking now. As I'd suspected she waited until she was completely confident that she'd got the hang of balancing and now she's off - doesn't fall over, climbs over everything. So we're off to get her first pair of shoes this weekend, there'll be no stopping her.

She tried out Joe's old wellies when we had all the snow, we had a few days of welly envy but hopefully that's passed now!

The kids had great fun in the snow. It was lovely the first couple of days when no one could get to work or school. Everyone was out in the street building snowmen, igloos, snow chairs etc. There are still carrots littering gardens and pavements all around Teddington. Bushy Park had hundreds of snowmen body stumps at the weekend where they still hadn't melted.

Simon has been away this week working for HMRC in Telford, not even sure where Telford is! Gearing up for our weekend in Center Parcs at the end of this month, kids are booked into the creche and we're booked in to the Spa, can't wait. After that we'll be making our fancy dress for Camp Bestival in July, must start practicing my sewing!

One day I'll fly away

2009-01-04T21:27:00.003Z

Came home yesterday and there was a pair of huge green parakeets in the tree in the front garden! They were having fun tucking into the little crabapples, they stayed there for ages, squawking away. What next?
Joe is having fun working on his scooter technique but I think it'll be a while before we need to buy him a helmet! Slow and steady and all that...
Sylvie is back at Roehampton on Wednesday for more audiology checks. Her bald patch where her pressure sore was is causing her some discomfort so we'll be off to Kingston hospital again to have that checked when we get our appointment. What Simon didn't mention was that she started walking on Christmas Eve - at mum's house, just like Joe! She's still quite cautious and I get the feeling she was able to do it months ago as she's very steady on her feet. Anyway she's very pleased with herself and has developed a fierce love of hats to celebrate!
Mr Mackie was staying with us for a couple of days before flying back to Singapore. Joe was particularly enamoured and now says hello, JoeJoe and Roly (steamroller on Bob the Builder) with a Scottish accent! Neil will probably need a week off to recover, not sure he knew how exhausting carrying a two year old around on your back all day was!

Rocking around the Christmas tree

2009-01-04T18:51:00.018Z

A lot to catch up on! Left for Ireland on Dec 17th: Heathrow, Dublin, Hire Care, Ardara - and hence began 2 weeks of bliss with Niamh's mum Breda.
Let's have some photos:

Our stay included a lot of lie-ins (forever grateful Breda), nights with Sam & Paul, days with Siun & Murphy, Christmas with Conor and Liz , a visit from Sarah, Pete and Rosie (incl Sarah's birthday), Niamh's birthday, a night at 'O'Fabulous', some trips to the beach a lot of guinness, home made moscow mules, and, as any decent compilation album would claim: 'much, much more'.

What's another year

2008-12-08T21:55:00.002Z

December already, how did that happen. Lost my voice at the weekend, Simon was very pleased! Kept insisting I rest my voice! We went up to Soho for Mr Hodson's birthday to a flash Japanese restaurant and had a lovely time. One of those places where you can't find the way in or where the toilets are, the waiters look like models or performance artistes etc! Much hilarity ensues, but the food was excellent!
Zara and the Simmonds clan were round today. Skye is going to be joining Sylvie at nursery on Fridays. Am grooming Milo to be a future catsitter for Astro.
Have started working for Nathalie my hairdresser, answering phone etc on Thursdays and Fridays. Fits in great with nursery, five minute walk to work and get to wear black without being covered in mushed up biscuit! Will soon know the grey hair secrets of Teddington's yummy mummys and any other secrets if the first week was anything to go by!

I've got your number

2008-11-29T21:52:00.005Z

Community spirit on the 281 bus back from Kingston on Tuesday. Outside the new pub on the high street a very shiny, large black Maserati was being ticketed. The warden was smiling as he took a photo and his friend captured the event on his mobile. People on the bus were laughing and clapping, everyone started talking to each other, the whole episode was very amusing.
G and P were here on Thursday. They survived the excitement of seeing Teddington's christmas lights being turned on, I don't think Joe will be happy when the lights come down though! Grandpa bought him and Sylvie little wands with flashing lights on which are now the favourite toys of choice and go everywhere with us. The entire town was out for the occasion and we even managed to squeeze a mojito in on the way home.
We're just back from a very nice Christmas lunch with the Haines clan. The children behaved beautifully and were very amusing. Joe sadly now seems to have an ear infection and I think we'll be off to the doctor in the morning.

Go wild in the country

2008-11-23T21:47:00.002Z

Keep expecting Bill Oddie to jump out in the garden this week. First of all we had a visit from a sparrowhawk who dropped by with her lunch, which looked like a pigeon. After she'd plucked all its feathers she didn't even leave any bones. It was very exciting and I was expecting a bloodbath on the lawn but there wasn't a trace apart from all the feathers. We also seem to have a tribe of very cheeky squirrels who've moved in for winter. Not content with getting into the shed and chewing through the handles holding up the bag of peanuts, they're now coming right up to the window to entertain Joe and Sylvie and tease Astro. We can get rid of the telly at this rate!
Apart from today's snow, Teddington is abuzz with the Christmas lights being turned on this Thursday by Peter Davidson. I think we're going to be visited by a few Dr Who geeks.
Sylvie and Joe have their parents evenings this week at nursery so God knows what they're going to tell me about Sylvie.

Disco Inferno!

2008-11-18T17:59:00.003Z

Photos!

D.I.S.C.O!

2008-11-16T16:28:00.003Z

Had a great time at Baby Loves Disco yesterday. The journey was almost as much fun, we took the train to Waterloo (each stop Joe shouting, This is Waterloo?) and then a taxi to Pacha's new home in Victoria. If you can imagine a chic Ibiza club, given a London edge then filled with crazed toddlers, you've got the picture! We managed to get a booth which was edged with metal beaded curtains. Most of the children were obsessed with the potential of the curtains rather than anything else but I can see how they'd work for an adult crowd. By about 3.30 most of the clubbers had reached boiling point and it became a much mellower less frantic place after that. The DJ also calmed down at this point and played some great old house and classic (not plastic) disco tunes and forgot about Queen and the Village People - both of whom my two loved I'm sad to say! But by the end of the day they had seen there was a better way. Joe and Sylvie had a great time bobbing about to the music and making friends, Joe was particularly attracted to the dancefloor. The upstairs bar was a buffet for the children and there was much stuffing of Orla Kiely/Mulberry handbags with all the free booty. Expensive baby sling one upmanship occurring too - most entertaining. And there was a bar for the grown ups - phew. So we stayed till the end and had a great time - photos are on Simon's phone so I'll get him to transfer them here.

Hey Joe

2008-11-10T13:39:00.001Z

Big congratulations to Paula and Wynn who have brought Joseph Sior into the world. He looks lovely in the photos, hoping to talk to Mummy soon when she gets her breath back. Joe thinks Joseph is his baby because they have the same name...willing to rent him out P!!

Drink Bacardi like it's your birthday

2008-11-10T13:30:00.004Z

Had Hodsons over for brunch yesterday. Laurence is 1 on Thursday so Joe sang Happy Birthday to each and every one of us in his honour. They're looking forward to a flight to Hong Kong on Wednesday with two small children so don't envy them that. Had a very soggy weekend what with the weather and Sylvie's fascination with Astro's water bowl! Spent an enjoyable evening at Hammersmith Apollo on Monday watching Michael McIntyre, it was funny watching single, childless people staring blankly as he told lots of married with children stories. Didn't much like paying £12 for two drinks though! Isabel from Joe's room at nursery baby sat for us so we could really relax. Costa is playing Christmas music back to back now so there can only be a couple of months to go now, have booked dinner at O'Fabulous for my birthday. Mr Ibbs told me they were celebrating Ireland's new son's victory - O'Bama. Zara and I are going to Baby Loves Disco at Pacha on Sunday with Joe and Taya - last time I was at Pacha I was with five gay men and a drag queen wearing a floor length fur coat - how times have changed!

Living in a land down under

2008-10-26T14:34:00.002Z

Had a lovely day up in Kineton last week at Jon & Vicky's country pad. Esther is over from Oz with her new pride and joy, Elliott and her old pride and joy, Todd! It was lovely to have a catch up, however brief and they're certainly looking well, Oz must be agreeing with them. Simon's work ensured that we only had an afternoon where we could meet up but it was worth the trip.
Mum is over in Nashville larging it no doubt, linedancing and drinking weak beer. It was lovely to have an extra pair of hands looking after the children especially as Sylvie is now crawling/walking. Thinking of getting eyes put in the back of my head.
Credit crunch means times are hard - people here are just having one latte per day and lunch and dinner out five times a week instead of seven and downgrading the nanny to an au pair! Still waiting for house prices to drop to below a million....

Murphy's Law

2008-10-26T14:27:00.002Z

News of a new arrival, Murphy Hugh Ibbs who came into the world on Friday morning weighing 9lb. Big congratulations to the Ibbs family. Hopefully we'll remember to take the camera with us at Christmas so that we can post a photo!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

2008-10-13T18:27:00.003Z

So Sylvie's birthday party has been and gone. The toddlers of Teddington and beyond were larging it in our front room in honour of the pretty one's first birthday with Mark the Music man and Tiffany balloon modeller extraordinaire. We are still finding balloon alien body parts around the place! Simon and Mike saved the day with their impromptu tarpaulin/marquee in the back garden so that the bar could stay open! Mark the music man was obviously very happy about that!! The house didn't suffer much damage which was good and we've built up a lost property office, which is bad - so if you're missing anything let me know. Thanks to everyone who came from near and far, I hope you had a good time. Next birthday party when Joe is 21!
Simon and I just back from a great night off - stayed the night at Malmaison, mooched around Clerkenwell pubs for the day, Elbow gig at the Roundhouse that night and then lunch at Lindsay House in Soho today. Just need a week off to recover and we'll be fine...oh dear.

Photos!

2008-09-23T20:30:00.011Z

On telly on southwest news! Look closely!

Turned a different corn(wall)-er...

2008-09-23T19:48:00.002Z

Had a lovely time in Cornwall. We were lucky with the weather and spent most of the week on Porthminster beach. Had a few nice lunches at the Cafe and historic burgers (thank you Blas) in the evening. Met up with the Vartys a few times, Joe and Max had lots of fun together with the animals at Paradise Park and played on the beach. Joe and I stroked Houdini the penguin which was probably our highlight of the week! Simon, Keith and the boys were on the local evening news in a report on Americans coming to Cornwall, Simon's highlight of the week! The journey wasn't too bad but it looks as if Joe is going to suffer from travel sickness, poor thing. Good job the car was valeted today, it was a bit whiffy! Painting and tiling took place while we were away, one went better than the others, lets say no more than that. Sylvie started her settling in week at nursery today - teary as expected but hey ho! As usual not organised enough to have photos downloaded but will try to do it this week.

Leaving on a jet plane

2008-09-08T13:51:00.002Z

We met Mr Mackie at Terminal 1 yesterday en route from a cousin's wedding in Plymouth to Iceland! Unfortunately there are no windows there so Joe didn't get to see too many planes but it was nice to have a catch up and with no alcohol involved! We'll have to meet him in Singapore airport next time though.
We all went to meet Mr Oscar Magee yesterday too (was a busy day). He's a gorgeous little fella, very long, but generally behaving himself. Of course, true to form, we forgot the camera so have no photos of him. Hopefully some will follow soon. Mum and Dad still looking a bit shocked but they seem to be settling in nicely.
Counting down to Cornwall now, this week will be a bit hectic, with packing, buying paint (Vince is coming to paint the place while we're away) and trying to understand Joe's secret language!

Come on baby, light my fire

2008-09-01T09:38:00.001Z

Camp Bestival Early Bird tickets went on sale today - will be getting ours!
You know it makes sense...

Strike a pose

2008-09-01T09:25:00.006Z

Here are some photos that I took on the mobile so the quality's not great but hey ho.

Joe checks out Granpa's golf club.

Sylvie looking lovely as usual.

Joe being charming.

Be my, be my baby

2008-08-29T18:32:00.003Z

Big congratulations to Andy and Aine - little (not that little 9lb 6oz!) Oscar Christopher arrived yesterday. Their house will no doubt be overflowing with penguin related baby paraphenailia shortly. Mummy and baby doing well, no word on Daddy! James is going to be a great big brother and they should start hiring him out very soon. Will post photos when we see them all.

2008-08-25T19:35:00.003Z

Today we had probably our last visit with the Magees before the baby comes. I had a chuckle to myself as I handed over bags full of kit, cleared a big space in the under stairs cupboard! Its nice to see first-timer parents-to-be, makes you realise how far you've come! James is living down here now too so Joe had someone to follow around and check out spiders webs with.
We were at P & G's at the weekend. They very kindly took the children off our hands on Saturday so that Simon and I could go to a local country house hotel with a lovely spa. Relaxing time all round. We also got to go out for dinner in the evening so it was like being on holiday! The children had a great time in their beautiful garden and Joe discovered a new love for picking and eating unripe tomatoes - which he has carried on with, back home.
Sylvie needed yet another hair cut last week - think I'll need to buy shares in Toni & Guy at this rate!

The hurting

2008-08-15T13:48:00.003Z

Managed to drop a chair on my big toe yesterday. Didn't break anything but ordered to rest and keep foot iced and elevated - as you can imagine, quite difficult with Joe and Sylvie bombing about, so they've gone to the emergency nursery today. Feeling massively guilty about it but I'm sure they'll be fine and as I could hardly walk we didn't have much choice. Now have a dark blue toe.

We have been addicted to the Olympics. Joe's personal fave has been the swimming, especially the butterfly. He has been running around the house perfecting his stroke. Gymnastics went down very well too, had quite an energising effect on his jumping! It has convinced me that we should try and get tickets for something in 2012.

Joe has moved upstairs at nursery to the older children's room. He's having a ball so far and has been coming home with a new trick every day. I think he is happier with the older children, and the toys and the things they do seem less babyish, so no danger of him getting bored. Am trying to get him a place at football training this winter, think it would be good for him. Sylvie starts in the baby room on the 22nd September. We've been dropping by to have a look in and she seems quite excited by it all. One of her top teeth is coming through, the poor thing has been really suffering with teething pain, much more than Joe was. But she babbles almost constantly like Joe did, except with a smile on her face!

We went to see Andy and Aine at the weekend. Their new arrival is due imminently. Joe keeps asking when the little baby is coming to see AndyAine and inspected all the new toys and thoroughly tested their childproofing!

Here are some photos from Claire's wedding

2008-07-28T20:55:00.006Z

Lovely cocktails!

More than your average marquee.

Here comes the bride.

Deutschland Uber Campervanning

2008-07-23T19:07:00.028Z

A retrospective post.
We spent 2 weeks in June in Germany with Sam & Paul & Siun. We flew (separately) to Munich, took a taxi to 'McRent', picked up the Winnebagos (Fiat's actually) and embarked on a motorhome roadtrip across Bavaria.

For Niamh and me it was all new. Neither of us had been to the south of Germany, and we were pleasantly surprised. Loads of cliches are true: it's very beautiful, it seems like it's stuck in the 1950s, the food is all schnitzel and sausage; but we were surprised by how relaxed it was, how friendly all the people were, and what a genuinely lovely holiday destination it was.

The campervan(s) were a test of our stamina and resilience. They were wonderful vehicles - 4 'berths', shower and loo (only ever used for storage!) cooker, fridge, aircon, stereo, table & seating for 4. Really good. But sleeping at night in the same 'room' as 2 kids is exhausting. It shows you what having a wall between you at home means - that you don't hear and sleep through a lot of murmers and little cries.
We drove to and stayed at 4 camp sites.

The first night was by a lake. Highlights: lake view, diggers in sandpit, 'selection' (platter that could feed 20 people) of food for 25 Euros.

Then a week by a river. Highlights: Joe: 'man has fish in hands' [fisherman in river]; the local football team's celebrations over the Euro 2008 games; ridiculously lovely sunsets, crazy golf, crazy 'pool' (crazy golf but with pool cues!)

Then a week in a luxury site. Highlights: the best swimming complex in Europe. On-site restaurant (3 meals a day thanks). On-site (and totally empty) heated swimming pool. Play park. Dad-slide. Piped pop music in the loos (highlight: Fantasy Island by Tight Fit at midnight).

Then the last night by another lake. Highlights: arriving and picking the best spots. Beer in fridge. Jumping in the lake before bedtime.

Every other day we took a trip to a local site. Nuremburg; Bayreuth; a few lovely little towns. All lovely.

The best thing of course was the chance to spend 2 whole weeks, all day every day, with Sam & Paul & Siun. These days, as parents, with our best friends spread to the winds, we rarely have hours together let alone days. We all got on really well (we think!), we share a bit of childcare, we shared a lot of beers and Radlers (shandy - German for 'cyclist'), we watched a lot of football.

Wonderful.

Hope you like the photos.

Bestival Style

2008-07-22T19:47:00.000Z

Saynomore

Bestival Blogging

2008-07-21T20:13:00.015Z

We had a great time at Camp Bestival. Here are some photos.

Enjoying fancy dress

Sylvie as Alice (listening to Billy Bragg)

A view of the Magic Meadow

Joe-anna

The Teepee field

Joe meets Barbara the pig

Sylvie loves the swings

The kazoo marching band

Niamh & Joe wait for Pizza

Joe finds some space to run after balloons

Go Johnny Go Go Go

2008-07-21T14:39:00.002Z

Just back from a fantastic weekend at Camp Bestival. It was Sylvie's first ever and Joe's first as a walking talking whirlwind camping on site. We have some great photos which I'll put on as soon as poss. We had great weather, good food, lovely cocktails and champagne, our Bestival Bivouac was a life saver and well worth the money. The site had a lovely chilled out vibe with lots of friendly people everywhere. The Kids Field turned out to be the place to be, I've never seen so many buggies in one place! My highlights include Chuck Berry introducing his children from his band, the Flaming Lips' singer's entrance on stage from the castle walls in a huge see-through bubble, Billy Bragg, the campfire with sofas and a piano, the skipping competition, Joe's face as he sat on a 5ft high model sheep, the pot bellied pigs in the farm and the jousting competition to name but a few. The teapot looked great in the end - we put tons of glowsticks on it at night and I think they're still going. We had a truly historic time, the children were made to feel like an important part of the festival and we weren't social pariahs because we had them with us. So we hope to see more of you there next year with your nearest and dearest.

Needles and pins

2008-07-14T11:40:00.002Z

Up to my ears in fancy-dress-costume-making at the moment. We're all very excited about this weekend, been looking forward to it for ages. Conor and Liz came last week to help out with the arty stuff so we won't be laughed at hopefully! Sylvie has her audiology appointment this afternoon so fingers crossed she'll get the all clear.
Our bathroom has finally been finished and we're very pleased with it. So nice to have the house back to ourselves but Glenn was a very hard worker. He's coming back in September to do the kitchen when we're in Cornwall so hopefully won't be as disruptive.

Good to be back, good to be back

2008-06-25T13:43:00.002Z

We have returned from the land where pork is the main constituent of every meal and life stops for cake. Wonderful but exhausting holiday, variable weather from 34 degrees to thunder and lightning. Neither my German nor my waistline improved over the last two weeks. When I come out from the pile of washing and get a chance to find the now broken camera I'll do a longer post.

Viva Espana

2008-06-04T19:04:00.001Z

So off to Mallorca tomorrow morning. Nervous about leaving the children but I'm sure they'll be fine. The glamour of Claire's wedding beckons and I'll be drinking gin and tonic and wearing clean white trousers while reading a book uninterrupted to celebrate! Bring it on!

So long, farewell

2008-06-02T18:30:00.002Z

Will be a bit quiet here for June. We're off to Mallorca for a long weekend without the children. I'm calling it a rest when I talk to Joe! Then the morning after we return we're all going to go campervanning in Bavaria with the Ibbs family. I guess that means we'll be supporting Germany in the footie, although Paul may have other ideas and want to support Portugal because of that unmentionable team. So hopefully a good time will be had by all and we'll have lots of good photos and stories. See you soon...

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit...

2008-05-30T19:19:00.003Z

Camp Bestival have announced that the theme for the fancy dress is Mad Hatter's Tea Party so we've gone Alice in Wonderland crazy here. Conor is being roped in for his artistic abilities and I am going to be stockpiling paint and cardboard from here on in! Sylvie will make a very cute doormouse and we'll persuade Joe to be the Rabbit!

Michael row the boat ashore

2008-05-29T20:13:00.003Z

As if spending two weeks in a campervan in Germany wasn't stressful enough we're having our bathroom done at the same time in the no doubt vain hope that it'll be finished by the time we come home! Everything's finally ordered now so we can relax, just the delivery to worry about now!
Conor has persuaded me to join Facebook so if you're on there come and find me and be my friend!
Meanwhile here's Joe and Sylvie doing Row Row Row your Boat to brighten up your weekend.

Down by the riverside

2008-05-24T19:04:00.002Z

Fun packed day today. Took the children to Richmond on the paddle boat from the lock. We passed by Trevor Bayliss sitting on his balcony having breakfast. Had a lovely lunch then went to sit on the Green in the sunshine while the cricket was on. Caught the boat back and tried out the new local pub for some food. Joe was worn out with all the excitement. We're meeting some friends for lunch tomorrow, their little girl is called Iris and Joe is in an Iris frenzy at the moment, God help her!

The story of the blues

2008-05-22T13:53:00.002Z

Gutted after last night. I really thought when Cech saved Ronaldo's penalty that we were in there. Still it was a great game, but a terrible way to lose.

Hangin on the telephone

2008-05-19T19:19:00.003Z

Joe's new best friend this week is Conor. He spent about 20 minutes on the phone to him on Saturday. It seemed to make him happy so I left him to it, not sure what Conor got out of the conversation though! Lots of Hello Conor and JoeJoe...
Bought our new bathroom on Saturday. Next time it rains I think I'll just take Joe to Bathstore, he can spend hours in the baths and showers, 'washing' his hands and his wellies like he did on Saturday. I felt sorry for whoever keeps the showroom clean, they're not going to be very happy.
Feelings of glamour inadequacy continue in Teddington this week. Found out that my friend Zara is going to be producing the ITV coverage of the Latitude Festival in July. I think I'll buy her an autograph book to take with her for me!

Sunshine of your love

2008-05-11T19:42:00.007Z

Piccies!
Have been enjoying the sun this week

And above is evidence of Joe & Max on 'the cars'

Also, in Geneva this week I was annoyed to see that the 400ft fountain in the lake now has a large football on top of it to celebrate Euro 2008. Doh!

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

2008-05-11T18:54:00.002Z

Been a long time, sorry about that!
The paddling pool has seen lots of action this week in this heat, Joe is in last year's shorts, breathing in obviously, until I get some that actually fit him.
Sylvie is sitting up now and has decided to finally start eating. Current favourite is spaghetti - nice and messy!
Went to Richmond Green Fair this weekend and met the Magees and Vartys. Joe developed a fierce passion for carousels and car roundabouts - I spent a fortune on rides, he wouldn't get off the bloody things! Today was Chestnut Fair in Bushey Park and lo and behold more rides - we managed to ration him to just one go today thank goodness, otherwise we would all have had sunstroke in the fierce heat.
Simon bought a mammoth family sized tent the other weekend in the tent sale on Kingston Green and we're hoping to try an al fresco night before the campervan trip in June. It's so big it doesn't even fit in the garden. I'm thinking of moving in permanently.

It's a Family Affair

2008-05-01T19:42:00.014Z

Hello. Niamh's weekend away (Oxford Hen Night) and my weekend of visitors was great fun. Here are some photos.

And here are some more from recent weeks

My lucky number's two

2008-04-24T16:27:00.002Z

Joe reached the ripe old age of two yesterday. Thank you to everyone who sent cards and presents. He had so many over two days that we're worried he's going to turn into a monster and expect them every day. Luckily the weather was lovely and after exhausting himself at nursery he was able to play in his tent in the garden for the rest of the day. He had been practicing blowing out candles for the last couple of days and the staff at nursery were still laughing when I cam to collect him - not sure what his final technique had been, I was scared to ask! Today we started our new term at Singing Hands and Joe seemed to have aged more than a year, he sang all the songs did the actions and even tidied up. Had the bodysnatchers been in the night? Tomorrow we are having a picnic with the other NCT 2 year olds after our Crafty Tales session so he should sleep well tomorrow! Wish we could do the same with Sylvie!
Simon and I had a quick trip to Wimbledon on Sunday when we visited Matches to buy outfits for Claire and Keith's wedding in June. I remortgaged the house to buy a dress while Simon was schmoozed by Birmingham's Asian answer to Russell Brand! Whatever he said it worked as he sold Joe and Sylvie to buy a jacket and trousers! I think we must have been feeling left out on the present front!

And don't you come back no more....

2008-04-19T16:57:00.003Z

Sylvie was discharged by her consultant, Dr Beaton, yesterday. So no more trips to Kingston Hospital for her for the near future - fingers crossed. We were relieved and just hope the audiology consultant will give the same verdict in July - then we'll be free from the consultants! Sylvie is now using Joe's old walker from Amsterdam, she seems to really enjoy standing up, it means she's at the same height as Joe and gets a good view of all the goings on. Simon and I are going to see Bjork at Hammersmith Apollo tomorrow night, she's had really good reviews and we're looking forward to a proper night out.
Joe had his first trip to the dentist on Friday. He'd spent all week saying "Hello Dentist" and had been practising opening his mouth wide. When we arrived he said "Hello Dentist" to everyone he saw, held the dentist's hand when she came to collect us, hopped up on to the chair and then refused to open his mouth. He didn't get upset, just wouldn't open his mouth at all except to say "Hello Dentist".

One o' clock rock

2008-04-14T18:55:00.003Z

Another week in Teddington Mum-land. The one o' clock club reopened at Marble Hill park last week, so Joe had his first trip there last Thursday. It's an indication of how much he's grown, last year he had to be helped in and out of the sand pit, this year he was jumping in and climbing out by himself, doing daredevil moves on the slides and chasing his friend Iris. Last year he had to be helped in and out of everything and was one of the smallest ones.
Sylvie's weaning is still going slowly. She's become a big fan of rice cakes but not much else so far!
I had a nice night out with some of the other Teddington mum's. We went to a local wine bar which has been refurbished and some food and a couple of bottles of wine. The place is called Shambles and I'm pleased to say we weren't too much of a shambles when we left.
We went for dim sum with the Hodsons on Sunday. We persuaded them to try the restaurant near us and our blushes were spared when Mark gave it a big thumbs up so I think it might become our new venue for dim sum. Joe (quite rightly) decided he wasn't up for the tripe or chicken claw but the turnip cake and spare ribs were the new big hit. We came back to ours for Pimms afterwards while the sun shined, you've got to make the most of the sun while you can in this weather.

Congratulations

2008-04-07T18:03:00.001Z

Over in sunny Oz, Esther and Todd have just had a lovely baby boy, Elliott. Well done all of you, but especially Esther!

Everybody jump, jump, jump...

2008-04-07T17:53:00.002Z

Joe's social life continues apace. He went to a party at a local soft play centre yesterday. They had huge inflatables and tumble mats. There were two instructors desperately trying to maintain order over 15 two year olds but my overiding memory will be them trying to get them to queue to jump along the big inflatable, as soon as the first kiddie got on, 14 other toddlers bundled on and began throwing themselves around in a spectacular fashion! I can't believe none of them were sick after the combination of laughing and jumping, rounded off by cake!
Sylvie had to have her hair cut on Saturday, her hair was half way down her back in a German mullet stylie, not the best look. The front we can cope with, using clips but the back was getting ridiculous. She was Nathalie's youngest ever client!
Mum arrived on Thursday and it's been a relief to have an extra pair of hands and she and Joe get on so well, I can actually get things done. I bought a season ticket for the local outside playgroup which runs every day until mid September. We went there a lot last year and Joe will enjoy himself there even more this year I think.

Here comes the sun...

2008-03-31T10:43:00.003Z

Great weather yesterday. We had our first day with the glass doors totally open onto the garden. It finally felt like all the hassle had been worth it. Joe could run around and we tried out our new deck chairs, it was a lovely day, really warm too. You feel so much better when the sun comes out. We went for Dim Sum in the afternoon to the local Chinese where Joe discovered a love of squid, won tun pastry and jasmine tea! No more rice cakes for that boy! Sylvie was paraded around the restaurant by every member of staff, I was half expecting the chef and dishwasher to come out at one point. She met every customer in the restaurant too, we'll be going back so I can eat more!

Baby love

2008-03-28T13:35:00.001Z

Alex Goldring made an early appearance this week, at an impressive 9lb 5oz he can join Sylvie's 9 pounder club. Andy and Aine are expecting a little bundle of joy this year too. Congratulations everyone!

And I miss you..

2008-03-28T13:28:00.003Z

So apart from being ill what have we been up to? Met Andy, Aine and James at Kew Gardens on Saturday. They had giant rabbits on display and Joe had a rampage around the interactive kids area with James. The low point was that we lost Joe Bear, that's right, his grubby bear that he takes with him everywhere, he's gone on holiday for good this time! We had to sit Joe down and explain that we had to say bye-bye bear, I think he understood that something important had happened and it involved his pal, either way we didn't have the hysterics at bed time that we've had before when we mislaid him so I think he understood. Monkey and rabbit have stepped up to the mark and he's stopped mentioning him. Except he's in literally every one of Alex's pictures, so we're debating whether to delaying putting them up on the wall for a while!
Booked our bivouac for Camp Bestival, really looking forward to it.

My camera never lies...

2008-03-28T12:11:00.005Z

Here are some of the pictures that Alex took for us. There are so many good ones, I didn't know which to choose! Sorry about the formatting but not feeling very well at the mo so can't be bothered fiddling around with it. Will put some more on Flickr soon.

Jinglebaxi

2008-03-16T19:44:00.001Z

Joe's word of the week is "Jinglebaxi".

We don't know what it means, but he says it in a sort of "Yeah I know, it's just SO jinglebaxi around here!" way.

Supergrass / The Green Green Grass of Home

2008-03-16T19:28:00.003Z

We had our astroturf put down yesterday. As you can see from the photo, it looks exactly like real grass (at night). Fortunately it also looks great during the day. And I don't have to mow it.

Before / After

We're both quite relieved cos this represents the end of well over a year of planning / building / gardening that started out as 'shall we open up the downstairs and tidy up the garden'. We're pleased with the result but it was all a bit painful.

Men with(out) hats

2008-03-11T13:56:00.005Z

Joe now insists on wearing a hat in the bath. The hat is a tractor. Or a horse or a barn. We have a bathtime farm set (thanks Sharon!). I also have to wear a hat. We have recently started to wear chest wigs. Well, stomach wigs actually. These are also farm-related. Joe will shout "Tractor - hat!" or "Piggy - Tummy!" and instructions must be followed.

Here are some photos from Centerparcs. Centerparcs rules.

It's the final countdown...

2008-03-11T11:57:00.002Z

Photo session with Alex went very well on Sunday, we're looking forward to seeing the photos in a couple of weeks.
The last few details of downstairs have finally taken shape, Simon put up the new blinds at the weekend and took the curtains down. So we have a lot more light downstairs now. Our deckchairs have been unpacked and we enjoyed them (briefly) at the weekend. Astro is out of her cage so her six foot has been freed up and we feel like we have a lot more space.
Our lawn has been delayed as James had a falling out with the lawn company! Should be another couple of weeks but Joe has been enjoying the garden every day regardless (there's sand everywhere and a few flowers have had their lives cut short!).
Sylvie is slowly getting back into the groove of sleeping, fingers crossed and her eating is improving again.

It's going to be a fine night tonight

2008-03-08T11:16:00.003Z

After keeping us all on our toes, Jane a friend from my old NCT group gave birth to another daughter yesterday, Olive Matilda. Congratulations!

Keep on running

2008-03-04T21:59:00.001Z

We have signed up to the Sport Relief mile challenge. The Phil & Ted's should be well up to pounding the Embankment on 16th March. All we have to do now is persuade Joe to sit in the pushchair and not run it too!

Park life

2008-03-04T21:19:00.003Z

Had a really great time at Center Parks this weekend. We had a lovely lodge in the middle of the forest, we saw baby deer, rabbits and ducks from our window every day. We're feeling fit now after cycling around on our bikes all weekend and doing lots of walking. I also managed to fit in an aerobics class so I felt very virtuous on my visits to the Spa. The children went to nursery for a few hours each day to give us a break and we had a babysitter two nights. Joe loved the nursery and came out each day with bundles of paintings that he'd done. I have to admit I wasn't expecting much but I had a really great time. They really do go out of their way to make it so easy for young families, everything you can possibly think of is there. We had such a good time that we've booked up again for next year!

On the garden front, Clive, the plant man, comes tomorrow to put some plants in the bed and the lawn goes down on Thursday. It's really looking good now and we're very pleased with it. Can't wait to get the deck chairs out there.

Back to the garden...

2008-02-23T10:37:00.003Z

The garden is coming on great guns now. They're here putting in the decking on a Saturday because they didn't get much done on Thursday because a delivery van broke down. Joe loves watching them work and stands at the window shouting BOTTOM! every time one of them bends over. Simon has taken the children to the Dad's playgroup and I'm going to meet them for coffee after. This afternoon Joe's nursery is having an open day to let parents taste all the dishes on the menu and other fun stuff. So we're going to go along and see if it's not too hectic. Joe's friend of the moment at nursery is called Conor so we've been getting very confused when he started shouting CONOR! at the top of his voice when he was being dropped off! Poor Conor doesn't even speak yet as he's a bit younger, so he's Joe's ideal friend as he never stops. I have been taking Sylvie to baby massage classes and she seems to really like it. No screaming as yet! Bjork tickets and Simon Amstell tickets have arrived so we're looking forward to some fun in April.

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it

2008-02-17T10:18:00.002Z

Excitement reached fever pitch here yesterday when we found out about Camp Bestival. It's a family festival run by the people from Bestival (Josie's pregnant again) in Dorset in July. We are at this moment contemplating whether to buy a family sized tent or hire one of the yurts they have. They'll have all the usual good stuff, WI tent, great food, fancy dress as well as sports day, campfires, farm animals, massage etc. Can't wait! Let us know if you fancy joining us.

Joe had his MMR booster on Saturday and it seems to have gone as well as last time, no reaction.

The gardeners have been making good progress, the railings and gate went up on Friday, the framework for the garden is in place and we've chosen the style of planting, so hopefully it will stay dry and they'll be finished soon. I'll put some pictures on when they do.

2008-02-11T10:00:00.000Z

Joe had his first proper haircut last week - I don't count the butchering the barber gave him as a haircut! He was very good, stood quietly while Nathalie sorted his mop out, she even showed him the back in a mirror and he let her brush his face - a first! His favourite bit was the water spray though. The Polish bowl cut is no more and he now looks very grown up.
We went to Wiltshire on Saturday to stay the night at Phyllis and Gordon's. They very kindly babysat and Simon and I went to the local pub for some dinner. Joe had lots of fun seeing all the animals around there, dogs, chickens, horses, donkeys, the list was endless.
We have booked ourselves a weekend at CenterParcs at the end of this month. We thought we may as well bite the bullet and see what it's like. If the brochure is anything to go by we certainly won't be bored and they have lots to offer the children so no muddy swings for us! We've booked babysitters and sessions at the creche so keep your fingers crossed we might actually get a chance to relax.

I can see cleary now ...

2008-02-07T21:00:00.000Z

Sylvie's appointment with the opthalmology consultant when very well on Tuesday. Her vision was examined thoroughly, pupils, cornea as well as the inside of the eyeball. Everything's as it should be for a baby her age. It was quite a gruelling appointment for all three of us but the staff dealt with us very well. The consultant said that some babies who go through Special Care are affected by delayed maturation and this was probably what had happened. So we heaved an enormous sigh of relief, one more worry checked off the list.

It's a good job that Sylvie's sight is up to scratch, today we had four hyper toddlers rampaging around the place after Singing Hands so there was plenty to see!

Dates for your diary

2008-02-01T21:52:00.000Z

Guilfest have announced their date - 4 - 6th July - we'll be going regardless. Fancy it?

Photo time

2008-02-01T21:34:00.000Z

Joe's letting Sylvie try on his favourite hat here!

This was the first time that Sylvie had been out in the sling and actually noticed anything else going on around her.

Alex (who took the fabulous photos when Joe was born) is coming in March to update our photo collection so I'll let you see her photos, they'll be far superior to these snaps!

The times they are a changin

2008-02-01T21:14:00.000Z

Welcome Dylan to the world who took everyone by surprise by arriving 6 weeks early. Math is a proud father again, congratulations.

Congratulations!

2008-02-01T21:12:00.001Z

Belated congratulations to Clare and Gareth who got married in Las Vegas on Christmas Day.

I just can't get you out of my head...

2008-02-01T20:56:00.000Z

After more than four months, the scab from Sylvie's ventilator pressure sore finally came off this morning. Now she just has a red sore patch which hopefully will heal quickly now. You never know, the hair might even grow back. She has her ICU party this Sunday and then sees the Consultant Opthalmologist on Sunday so fingers crossed.
We have been getting excited about our trip to Germany this summer. Paul has been sorting out an itinerary for us and finding nice little campsites, thanks Paul!
Gardeners start next week which is a relief as Joe spent this afternoon trying to get into the abandoned washing machine that's out there!

Down on the farm

2008-01-22T15:31:00.000Z

Had a nice weekend, visited Bockett's Farm on Sunday. Lots of lovely lambs, calves, piglets and babies of all varieties! Joe was big enough for the animal handling session and extreme levels of hysteria were reached when the rabbit and guinea pig were brought out. I thought we'd never make it home! The tractor wheels were still a source of great fascination but at least he noticed the animals this time! It was the first time I'd been there not pregnant so I was finally able to feed and stroke the animals. I'm now trying to persuade Simon to let us have a pet guinea pig. Met Andy and Aine in Kew Gardens afterwards for a stroll before the rain. Sounds like they had a lovely honeymoon.
Joe enjoyed seeing his old nursery pals at the drama session last Friday. They had lots of fun singing, dancing and making lots of noise on the recorders - they must have heard the noise in Twickenham. We're going to go every Friday and his pals Ryan and Reggie are too, so they can continue to play together.

She's a Deva lady...

2008-01-16T19:53:00.000Z

Simon and I had a fabulous meal at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road on the 7th. We went for the tasting menu, highlights for me were the foie gras, mushroom butter and the pineapple cocktail that had space dust in the bottom! Housewives favourite Jamie Theakston was there with his wife. Many thanks to Mum, Phyllis and Gordon who babysat for us that evening. As if that wasn't enough glamour for us we went to see Claire and Keith's house, belongs in a magazine if it's not already in one, we were green with envy on the way home!
Joe is going to go back to Singing Hands this week for their drop in class. He's taken up dancing in a big way this week so it should go well. Deva (fabulous name) the drama lady from Holly House is holding a free session for Holly House children on Friday so no doubt he'll come home dancing again! Sylvie is now seeming to focus on her black and white flash cards and appears to follow them so fingers crossed the opthalmologist can give us some good news soon. We've been invited to the Born Too Soon Graduates party at the start of next month. All the babies that have been at the unit since it started are invited. The Hodsons are going to go too so should be a nice afternoon. Vic gave me a bin liner full of gorgeous clothes that Evie's grown out of so I won't have to buy anything for a while. Sylvie will be very well dressed!
Astro is back at the vet for her X-ray. They're monitoring her tonight and then if the break is completely healed she'll get her freedom pass! Her favourite place to sleep the last couple of days is Joe's wigwam! He doesn't mind sharing with her though!

Gonna get myself connected

2008-01-09T12:03:00.000Z

My new laptop has finally arrived so can hopefully post more often when Sylvie is asleep. All go as usual here! Mum has been here for a while helping out while Simon is in Geneva, need two pairs of hands in the mornings and evenings. Joe has settled back in to his new nursery and is making friends. Sylvie is sleeping really well at night now, her vision seems to be improving. We're still waiting for her opthalmologist appointment to have this checked. Our garden is probably going to be done in February so should be finished in time for Joe to start rampaging around. Astro is still in her cage recovering from the broken leg, she's perked up a lot this last week - by that I mean getting much louder! Madam is waking up so have to go....

More photos

2008-01-02T21:25:00.001Z

The only known picture of the four of us!

The reality of building work

Andy& Aine come to visit (post wedding!)

The reality of work ing from home

Chloe, Sophie & Joe

The boy Mackie teaches Joe 'bag-wrestling'

On New Year's Eve we went to bed early. It was great!

I've also added some more photos on earlier posts below.....

News news news

2008-01-02T20:58:00.000Z

A busy few days.

Friday 28th Sam & Paul & Siun arrived. Put Siun to be and we all sat up chatting til about midnight before the girls went to bed. Paul and I stayed up and polished off an entire litre of Lamb's Rum (thanks Conor) til about 3, then were both up about 3 hours later giving bottles to Sylvie & Siun. We sat on the sofa watching Iggle Piggle and Macka Packa (if you've done it you know, if you haven't you don't care...). It was Niamh's birthday so we opened champagne for breakfast (there was also some porridge) and started to feel 'good' again. (Ha!).

Off to the London Eye. Had some sort of champagne/vip/fast-track ticketey things so were all very pleased to skip the 3 hour queues and to top up the blood-alcohol levels. Beautiful sunshine, great views, and Joe loved 17 minutes of the 20 minute 'flight' then spent 3 minutes having a random tantrum banging against the doors (clearly marked 'Do NOT lean against the doors') while Niamh tried not to look terrified.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T20:33:00.000Z

I realised that this blog is not only a way of keeping you lovely people up to date but will stand as a little record of this time, that perhaps we and the kids will look back on one day. So I'm going to try to do a few more posts, and try to cover the things the kids might be interested in in years to come....

Right now I need to say that life at home with Niamh and Joe and Sylvie is wonderful. I'm off work for a couple of weeks over Christmas, so I get to spend all my time with my three favourite people. Sylvie is a little smiler, she just grins all the time. She really makes me laugh. She has started to babble a little bit, tries to sit up all the time, and loves being nude, just like her brother. And Joe is a little nutter: he makes up words that we can't understand and says them over and over again, in a really insistent way, as if we should understand. (His current favourite is 'doctor' which he says with great confidence as he points to planes, trees, shopping trolleys, you name it). He runs around yelling and shouting and giggling and banging things. This morning he rolled around on the floor of his bedroom with me and Niamh and Sylvie, giggling and loving it. We do spend a fair bit of time 'attending to' Sylvie and Joe during the night and of course all day, but despite the lack of sleep it is all worth it.

I don't know if I've mentioned it but Joe gets in the shower with me (and/or Niamh) in the mornings. He loves his showers and baths. When we were staying at Breda's over Christmas, Joe stayed in the shower with me, then Niamh then Breda, pretty much all morning. While he's there he arranges things, like shampoos etc. It's hilarious.

Being a parent is great. Absolutely the best thing I've ever done.

Mystery gift

2007-12-27T20:23:00.000Z

If you are the kind giver of a string of knitted bears and some booties - thank you! Please tell us who you are!

So here it is, Merry Christmas...

2007-12-27T19:59:00.000Z

Joe & Breda singing

Opening presents

Joe & Niamh in the Wigwam

Conor & Liz having a dance

We had a whirlwind Christmas tour of Somerset and Wiltshire. Straight down to see Breda's new house in Frome: it's a beautiful cottage with a really homely feel, great views and a garden with a fishpond. Joe had great fun exploring the garden and getting thoroughly wet and filthy. On Christmas Eve we had a lovely long lunch in Frome's finest eatery and explored Frome's microbrewery, indulging in a beer called 'Beer' and something strong called Elderberry Fizz. Sylvie kept us all smiling with her constant smiles and gurgles.

Christmas day was spent in the spacious glory of Conor and Liz's posh townhouse on the other side of Frome. We had a traditional Christmas lunch of spoked salmon, Thai curry and endless puddings. We were all spoilt with presents (despite Niamh and I apparently not doing Christmas presents this year) and had a great day.

Boxing day, off to Gordon & Phyllis for our first visit to their new home - just fantastic. Really light and bright, loads of room, great garden, in a lovely quiet area on the edge of the lovely village of Bromham. Again Joe loved running around and Sylvie was all smiles.

We had to take Astro on this trip as she broke her leg last week, had surgery to put a metal plate in her leg and has to stay in a cage for 4 weeks to rest it. So not only did we have 2 adults and 2 kids plus all the trappings, but we had Astro in a box and her cage on the roof of the car. What we go through!

Will add some pictures when I can. Hope you've had a lovely Christmas.

Next we have Niamh's birthday (Dec 29th) with Sam & Paul & Siun then hopefully a very quiet New Year!

100 Posts - and finally a video!

2007-12-19T22:28:00.000Z

Ok this is an experiment in video, thru t'interweb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2mvXcp53qM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFCY9SLm4Qo

I can see clearly now...

2007-12-09T14:03:00.000Z

God, December already, where did the time go? We've decided to cancel Christmas for everyone except Joe this year, we're too knackered and skint! Sylvie is too young to even know what day it is and Simon and I just can't be arsed to buy into the Christmas madness this year. We have all had nasty bugs etc over the last couple of weeks, Joe and I are on antibiotics, hopefully Sylvie will escape and Simon's flu jab seems to be keeping everything at bay for the time being.

Joe starts at his new nursery tomorrow. He had two very successful settling in days last week so seems like the best time to start. He is still going to the Christmas party at Holly House on the 20th which will be the last day for everyone there, so we'll get a chance to say goodbye. Joe made a new friend the other weekend, Neil was visiting us en route to Scotland from Singapore. Not sure he expected the story book reading marathon he ended up with but Joe was very taken with him and was upset when he left. Shame, Singapore's a bit too far away for babysitting duties!

Our floor is being finished tomorrow so the eight week job will only have taken seven months but hey ho! It's looking very sharp but I won't be able to relax until the floor is done, we've had so many false starts on this job. The new doors and windows have gone in, as have the portholes on the door - looking good. (Must get a window cleaner!) Then just the garden to sort out, hopefully that won't take seven months!

Hello again, hello

2007-11-22T20:45:00.001Z

Simon and I had a wonderful belated anniversary dinner at Petrus in Knightsbridge last week. The food was absolutely superb. The restaurant had a great atmosphere, a massive treat for me who only eats accompanied by yelling babies or simultaneously singing Old MacDonald. It was nice to have a grown up night out - feels like years since the last one. Simon must have rung years in advance to even book the table! Angela, one of the managers at Joe's nursery and mother of his pal Ryan babysat for us, so we could truly relax while we were out. Had my first hangover for years the next day!

On the home front our folding doors and window were finally put in this week. The builders have threatened to come and finish the job tomorrow so we'll wait and see, we might even be finished by Christmas. The man delivering the wood for the job managed to smash the hallway light in the same week that the mirror fell off the wall so don't know how many years bad luck that means - I think we've had more than our fair share this year.

The buyer for Joe's nursery has fallen through as the valuation came in lower than the asking price so back to square one on that front unfortunately. We will be scrambling for places with everyone else next week. Talking of scrambling, Joe had a nasty fall at the weekend, he hit his cheekbone, just under the eye, on the corner of the table while he was playing Ready Go (his new favourite game - involves running at high speed around the house while shouting), so we had a lovely day out in the various emergency departments of South West London hospitals, which was nice. He was fine of course, swaggering around covered in blood, making friends with all the patients and the cuts have completely healed up now.

I have been spending the last couple of weeks catching up with all the people I haven't managed to see since before Sylvie was born. She's met lots of new people and been showered with presents. I'm way behind on thank you cards so you'll have to pretend its your Christmas card as well! We've decided not to buy Christmas presents this year. We'll buy Joe some presents but if you were thinking of spending your money on any of us we'd rather that you made a donation in our name to Born Too Soon, who raise money for Kingston Hospital NNU.

Bean news

2007-11-22T20:42:00.000Z

Laurence Hodson made a very early surprise debut last week. He's a power packed 4lb but is making good progress. Sylvie is looking forward to meeting him to swap notes on their favourite nurses!

More beans

2007-11-04T20:17:00.000Z

Lucy Gaster put in an appearance last week, two weeks early but one ounce heavier than her brother Jack when he was born. Big congratulations to Julia and Dan.
Esther and Todd are expecting their own Australian bean next year, congratulations, make sure you have all your luxury holidays now!

Back to life, back to reality...

2007-11-04T20:09:00.000Z

Simon is back at work tomorrow so I'm looking forward to putting Sylvie into some kind of routine. I am going to the Registrar tomorrow to register her birth and then we have her weigh in with the health visitor afterwards so fingers crossed she's continuing to put on weight. I think she should because the volumes of milk she's taking have increased over the last week. Joe is continuing to be enamoured of her, lots of kisses and enthusiastic cuddling.
Our boiler seems to be on the blink at the mo so no hot water or heating since Saturday morning. Hopefully someone is turning up tomorrow to fix it so we can all be clean and warm again soon.
Sylvie and I went to see the chiropractor on Thursday to be checked over. By and large we've come through relatively unscathed so once a few kinks are ironed out we'll be fighting fit. I'll be going back to my twice weekly visits so that Dan can start sorting out my prone neck and improve my posture. We're also expecting lots of visitors this week so there may not be any blog entries until next week.

Holiday - Celebrate!

2007-10-31T20:06:00.000Z

Well it's my last week on holiday from work - despite taking a total of 6 weeks off work I've ended up with just over a week at home with Niamh and Joe and Sylvie. Still, we're having fun getting used to each other.

Sylvie seems to be going from strength to strength - she is feeding well and was weighed today and had increased her weight by 8 ounces in a week (though we had just fed her - ssshh - don't tell the health visitor). There seems to be a problem adding pictures at the moment but I'll try later

I was best man at Andy and Aine’s wedding on Saturday. It was great. Beautiful church (link attached http://www.stetheldreda.com/home.html ); amazing choir; great venue for the reception (an old bank on Chancery lane converted into a pub); Aine looked wonderful; great speeches (!). It was also just amazing to catch up with so many friends – to name a few Andy and Aine, Conor and Liz, Sam & Paul, Mark & Phil, Vic, Beth, and to meet the Magees and Foleys and all their friends. I can’t do the wedding justice in a few lines so I won’t bother – ask Niamh!

Have to say a huge thank-you for all the cards and presents we’ve received. We are way behind with thank you cards but will get there eventually. In the mean time – THANK YOU!
Huge thanks of course to Breda and to my Mum and Dad for their stunning baby-sitting performances. We’re talking 6.30 am to 7.30 pm with no breaks and onto night duty. We asked a lot and you delivered! THANK YOU!

I'm trying to attach a video from the days when we went to visit Sylvie in hospital several times a day. When we took Joe, he got very excited by the lifts as you can see – and seemed to be very keen to see Sylvie judging by the speed he ran off! Not sure if the attachment works....

Welcome Home!

2007-10-25T15:59:00.000Z

Apologies for the blog silence. We've had a good excuse, we've had an absolute roller coaster ride since the last entry. Sylvie finally escaped the neonatal unit and came home yesterday afternoon - hurrah! It was touch and go several times whether or not that would be possible. Her feeding tube came out, then she stopped wanting to feed, she caught an eye infection and we were warned that it would take a miracle to get her home this week. Then with just a few days notice she and I were booked to room in for two nights in the Transitional Care unit. She was given the go ahead to go home yesterday by the Unit and the paediatric consultants after she fed well for 24 hours. Her weight is still up and down, not by much, around 60g, and her feeding is erratic but these problems should hopefully even out now that she's home. She will have to see the consultant before Christmas to have the once over but if that goes well she should then be treated like a normal child. We are now getting used to having a wee one about the place, passing each other on the landing in the middle of the night between doing feeds etc. Joe has been giving her lots of kisses and pointing out her nose for us, just in case we didn't know where or what it was. Simon had been very busy behind the scenes sorting out the cleaners to give the house a once over before we came back, balloons had been delivered and thank you presents ordered for the nurses.
The health visitor came today and we'll be visited regularly by them for about a month to make sure she's ok. We went into Kingston today to do some shopping and try out the sling and that trip went very well. I don't think I made it out of the house for a fortnight when I had Joe but after three and a half weeks of sitting in the hospital I've been craving fresh air, new clothes and shopping!
Simon has been trying to write his best man's speech through the middle of all this and has the wedding rehearsal tomorrow, followed by a rehearsal dinner in the evening. His wedding suit has arrived but he hasn't even had a chance to try it on yet. Phyllis and Gordon are arriving tomorrow to help look after Joe for the weekend so hopefully that will all go well too.

On the move again

2007-10-16T16:44:00.000Z

Sylvie was moved again yesterday from High Dependency to the Low Dependency Room. She needs to consistently put some weight on and regain her strength so that she can feed consistently without the tube. The opthalmologist was called this morning as the doctors were worried that her pupils were not reacting quickly enough to light. The consultant opthalmologist gave her eyes a structural all clear but we will need to monitor her gaze for the next six weeks, if there's a worry that she can't follow movement or sound with her eyes then the opthalmologist will want to re-examine her. Just one thing after another at the moment. Emma, Sylvie's nurse weighed her this evening before her feed and she's put on 60g so up to 4.18kg - that means she has another 60g to get back to her birth weight.
Sylvie and I were visited in the unit yesterday by the chief obstetric consultant to apologise for me being discharged from hospital so quickly and my experience in general! An apology from the NHS, wonders will never cease! Sylvie and I are going to be a teaching case apparently and when the chief read our notes she came straight over with her minions and has invited me back to the hospital to discuss everything with her once Sylvie is safely at home. The nurses were stunned at the visit and I really don't know what to make of it all. I had felt very positive about the whole labour and delivery experience and certainly hadn't complained to anyone about anything. Can't fault the care that Miss Sylvie has received either, far from it. She asked for us by name so we hadn't been mixed up with anyone else either. I gave a glowing report of Hawah and the NeoNatal Unit staff so hopefully they'll be given credit where it's well and truly due.
Mum met Sylvie for the first time yesterday when she popped in for 5 minutes before taking off to Frome.
Tom's new album Life Tracks is out - Christmas is coming folks, put it on your present list! - and the album launch is on Thursday at the Big Chill House, we're buying our copy tomorrow and are looking forward to hearing it.

This ward aint big enough for the both of us...

2007-10-13T20:13:00.000Z

Sylvie was moved from the intensive care unit into the high dependancy room on Thursday evening. The NeoNatal Unit is completely full at the moment, none of the babies are particularly sick but they all need various degrees of extra help at the moment. Sylvie is being fed at three hourly intervals and they are trying to avoid using the tube. The tube was taken out on Friday afternoon but the nurses put it back in on Friday night as she was so sleepy they couldn't really wake her to be fed. The antibiotics courses have now been finished and she's being monitored for the next 24 hours to make sure that her infection markers don't rise. I've been feeding her three times a day and she seems to be taking to it quite well, doing it at her own pace as all newborns do but because we're still in hospital you can sometimes feel that you're being checked up on and that their standards are way higher than it might be were you at home on your own getting on with it. She's going to be weighed tomorrow and that will also play a part in decisions about her future care. Fingers crossed but we've learned to take each day as it comes and not to get carried away with the H word.
Mum arrived on Thursday and has been a great help entertaining Joe while we've been going in and out to the hospital. Simon took him to a Dads only playgroup this morning for the first time, I've been chuckling imagining them all singing Twinkle Twinkle in deep voices!
Our new cleaners started on Wednesday, hallelujah! They work as a pair so they're finished even more quickly and it was so nice to come home to a spotless house. Tomorrow we're going to the Richmond NCT fair to have a mooch around.
Big thank you's to Meg and Claire who babysat for us this week while we went to see Miss Sylvie. We feel so lucky to have met so many kind people since we moved to Teddington. Funnily enough with the postal strike the first bits of post to arrive came from Australia and Hong Kong! The prize must go to Ez though who despite being on the other side of the world in Sydney managed to have a box full of delicious cakes hand delivered from St Margarets just as I was making a cup of tea! It truly is a case of who you know Ez, thanks very much! Thank you to all of you whose cards and presents have made it through the postal chaos! Its very kind of you to think of us and we really appreciate all your support.

ICU baby...

2007-10-10T16:53:00.000Z

Haven't given a Sylvie update for a while. She's doing really well now and since our last post has continued to come along in leaps and bounds. Joe has been in a couple of times to give him his seal of approval although we're not sure if it was just the beeping machines that got him excited! He has given her a few gentle pats and is quite curious about having a good look at her. Pauline gave him a lovely teddy bear on his first visit and Sylvie had a little toy for him too although he's taken more of a shine to the rabbit in her cot that the next door neighbours gave her!
Her tummy tubes have been removed and she began to take milk at 1ml per hour on Saturday. She is already up to three-hourly feeds at the maximum dose and nurses have been trying her with bottle feeds as well as breast feeds when I make it in to the unit. She is still having antibiotics into her foot as she has a pressure sore on the back of her head from when she was sedated so they're being cautious about that. Her antibiotics will be given until the 12th and then they will monitor her without them for 24 hours before they decide if she needs another course. She is bruised like a little pin cushion from all the needles but is coping with it all very well. Her colour is also back to normal so she's a lovely pink colour. The nurses have also given her a dummy so that she can practice her sucking as well as comfort herself between feeds.
She is in a normal hospital cot now, not the huge all singing and dancing bed that she had before and is the oldest fixture in the ICU. She's had some new room mates over the week, mostly little preemies, so she gets lots of cuddles from the nurses because she's not as delicate as the others.

Sylvie's progress

2007-10-04T21:12:00.000Z

Sylvie had another good day today. Simon got to have his first cuddle today and she gave him the cuddling seal of approval. I also had two more cuddles but its so hard to put her back in the cot. We changed another nappy, this time without supervision. One of the tubes going into her cord was taken out this afternoon, there are so many, can't remember what this one was for! They have also begun to put little t-shirts on her but they need to have buttons down the front so that they can get access to the monitors and tubes so we'll have to stop by Mothercare in the morning as we have thousands of vests with poppers but no t-shirts.

She is quite shaky which is part of the withdrawal from the morphine and another painkiller or antibiotic which begins with a V - again can't remember the name, but this should right itself once she gets it all out of her system. Her liver function is being monitored at the moment to decide the right time to start introducing her to colustrum then milk. She will only be given absolutely minute quantities to begin with so progress may be very slow and if her tummy reacts to the milk they will stop giving it to her.

The nurses in ICU are fantastic and we already have our favourites! Debby is one of the night nurses and when I phone in the wee small hours she puts the phone up to Sylvie so that I can hear her breathing and she can hear my voice! She also gives her lots of cuddles. Tracey looks after Sylvie most days, and always explains everything fully for us. Pauline is the parent liaison officer, she is a volunteer. She takes photos of Sylvie every day and left a little photo album for us today, she makes little cards and lots of thoughtful stuff for us to keep as a record. She also organises the baby blankets, knitted by volunteers, makes tea for everyone and is so super-kind to everyone it's overwhelming! She was a 27 week baby and all four of her children, now grown up, were cared for in the ICU.

Joe's busy week

2007-10-04T20:44:00.000Z

Joe has had a busy week - spending extra time at nursery and spending a day with the bigger boys - he now won't sleep in a cot at nursery and sleeps on a floor mat instead. Joe had a great day with Evie (and Mark & Vic) on Sunday - he got in touch with his feminine side in Evie's pink trousers, made 'toast' with Evie in the wendy house, and apparently Evie insisted that Joe was present in person before she would use her potty. Potty! Before Sylvie was born we also took Joe around the Henry Moore exhibition at Kew gardens in the pooring rain.

Joe's words (in approximate order of first being spoken) are currently:

Hiya (with hand pressed to ear in imitation of phone)

Hello

Bye-bye

Nana (banana)

Cat

Duck

Tea

Hot

Bird

Roar (like a lion)

Mummy

Daddy

Down

'Hats off' to Sylvie

2007-10-03T18:53:00.000Z

Wow! What a day. We arrived at the hospital this morning and the Consultant announced "Ah, Mrs Haines! We have fixed your daughter!" Sylvie was lying, unrespirated, no hat - Niamh didn't recognise her and thought she'd been moved.

We sat and watched Sylvie for a long time, very excited about her just breathing for herself, seeing her hair, seeing her eyes (blue-grey).

We then helped to wash her hair.

Who does she look like? Niamh thinks she looks just like Joe when he was born.

And then, finally, after 4 days, Niamh held Sylvie!

We didn't realise quite how big Sylvie is until I saw Niamh holding Sylvie - 9lb6oz, 55cm - she's a giantess!

Well done Niamh!

2007-10-02T12:26:00.001Z

Just a short note to say how wonderful and strong Niamh has been. From her waters breaking at 12:30 am Saturday, to Sylvie being born at 11:50 am, Niamh was strong and brave and (without going into details) pushed Sylvie out the traditional way. Any man who has been through something similar will know how awe-inspiring (and scary) it is. Any woman - well, hats off to you.....

Sylvie being ill was the last thing we had thought about. From being born and placed onto Niamh's stomach it must have been seconds before she was whipped off, into the best care of course.

We'll keep you posted.
Simon

Welcome to Sylvie

2007-10-02T11:59:00.000Z

Our beautiful daughter Sylvie was born on Saturday 29 October at 11.50 a.m. weighing in at an impressive 9lb 4oz! She looks just like Joe did when he was born, full head of hair but is taller than he was, 55cm long.

Unfortunately at some point during delivery she inhaled some meconium which has coated her lungs making it very difficult for her to take in oxygen. She was taken to the ICU in the Neonatal Unit at the hospital almost immediately where she has been ever since. She is sedated and on a ventilator. Her condition is poorly but stable. She has tubes to clear her stomach fluids, tubes to feed her, tubes to do everything! We can't really touch her at the moment, her eyes are kept shut to stop them drying out so we don't even know what colour they are. Because she is kept paralysed she is retaining a lot of fluid, especially around her eyelids. Simon and I got quite a shock last night when we went to see her, she looked like she'd been boxing. She is slightly yellow too but not jaundiced so far. Her cathater was taken out today so that is a positive sign.

We are exhausted, physically and emotionally. We don't know how long this situation will go on for. We just have to take everything one day at a time. Mark and Vic have been fantastic, they looked after Joe all day on Sunday so that we could stay at the hospital, cooked us lunch and dinner, babysat last night so that we could go in and say goodnight when Joe had gone to bed. I can never thank them enough for what they've done. Conor and Liz were also wonderful - dropping everything (pints I think) at 1am on Friday night to rush from Dulwich to Teddington to babysit Joe. We went straight to Kingston hospital and Conor & Liz got Joe up and played with him all day. Huge thanks.

Joe is at nursery four days a week for the time being and he's been wonderful. Its so nice for us to spend time with him, little monkey that he is, after being at the ICU surrounded by babies that can fit in the palm of your hand. Whenever we have news we'll put it on here but there might not be any change in her condition for a long time, it's just a waiting game from now on. Thank you for all your offers of help, if there's anything we think you can do for us we will let you know, just appreciate that at the moment we can't really plan anything past the next 24 hours.

Thanks for all your support.

Lady of Leisure

2007-09-27T19:08:00.000Z

I've had a lovely week so far. On Sunday we went to Bockett's Farm for the day. Joe was so excited by everything, the piglet racing, stroking goats' beards, patting the sheep, sitting on a tractor even washing his hands at the big sinks ... I thought he was going to explode! Max's Grandad took this photo, we bumped into Claire, Keith and Max with Keith's parents on our way in so the boys had a good run around together.

Simon has been off work since Monday and has been treating me to lots of lovely lunches. On Tuesday I went on a mini shopping spree and treated myself to a handbag before we went off for a great long lunch at the Kings Head, I even had a glass of wine! On Wednesday we went into town to check out the members bar at the Royal Festival Hall. The views are absolutely spectacular from there and the refurb is so retro, I loved it. Today we had another wonderful lunch at Chez Gerard so I've been piling on the weight this week! Simon has gone for a much deserved Shiatsu massage this evening at Vida Therapy in preparation for the week to come. Our folding doors and the kitchen window are now ready for installation so we have to sort out a date with the builders. We will probably go to Cornwall for the week when all the work is being done via Frome (Mum got the keys to her house this week - hurrah) to escape the chaos, or just transplant our own chaos to the seaside!

The midwives are giving me a sweep tomorrow so hopefully Missy will make an appearance this weekend, if not I'm booked for a c-section on Wednesday. So one way or another she'll be here soon.

This week we have mostly been

2007-09-21T22:05:00.000Z

loving Flight of the Conchords. They have a new series starting this week on BBC3 if you get it. Simon especially loves the Business Time song. Check them out.

Farewell Jose

2007-09-21T21:53:00.000Z

Chelsea always sack managers at momentous points in my life.
Farewell Special One.

Food glorious food

2007-09-18T19:38:00.000Z

Tomorrow is my due date so I'm making the most of being able to live on mint Cornettos, Jelly Tots, and crisp sandwiches! Will have to buy industrial strength pants for Andy's wedding in October!
Mum has had some good news, her solicitor has received the money for Homeward Bound so hopefully the purchase of the Frome house should go through very soon. She's very relieved and excited and I'm sure Conor and Liz will be pleased to hear that they can get rid of the sofa's being kept for her at their house!
Keith the Carpenter comes tomorrow to finish off the cupboards and the window film has arrived so we're in the final stages of the build now.
We had some sad news on Friday, Joe's nursery is closing in December so we'll have to move him to somewhere else. Luckily the Teddington Day Nursery had a rare place available so he'll be starting there soon but we'll be very sad to say goodbye to Holly House, especially as I could literally make it over there in my pyjamas in the morning! We're hoping to continue to stay in touch with his friends at regular intervals for playing dates but I know he'll have no problems making new friends, in fact when we went to have a look around the new nursery he was in the thick of it within minutes. Annabel Karmel (food guru for babies) oversees all the menus so no doubt he'll start turning his nose up at my efforts very soon!

I wonder why, he's the greatest dancer...

2007-09-12T20:09:00.000Z

Joe has apparently been cutting up the dancefloor at nursery! The drama lady did a music session with the under two's yesterday and the wee man barged his way to the front and showed them some non-stop disco Stu moves - my heart swelled with pride when they told me! He even got a sticker for being such a great dancer - he gets that from his mum! And he carried on dancing when the music stopped! They've promised me that next time she comes they'll let me know so that I can pop over and check him out!

Simon has put up some pictures and the mirror downstairs so the place looks a lot more like home. About another five boxes worth went up in the attic too so we can start to see the carpets again. Vince our star decorator has been round this week painting the shelves and should be finished tomorrow. Carpets are being steam cleaned tomorrow too so hopefully I should stop continually sneezing!

We have managed to get tickets for the Police at Wembley in the front middle block so really looking forward to that, will be able to partake of a drink or two then as well. Conor has gone mental with excitement at the news that Led Zeppellin are doing a one off gig at the O2 - cue lots of Saxondale lookalikes, all playing air guitar, heading for east London. Just finished reading Alex James' biography which was an enjoyable diversion, he's far too polite though about the really interesting things unlike Rupert Everett whose book is a scream.

Simon had Monday off so we were able to have an outing to Bushey Park among other things. Joe enjoyed all the ducks and especially the cygnets, spent most of his time being chased around by Daddy with the remains of his ice cream all over him. The One O'Clock Club at Marble Hill Park is now finished until next April so Lord knows how we'll fill our days until then - probably banging things and finding danger if I know Joe.

If the Fonz is so cool....

2007-09-12T19:59:00.000Z

....... why does he hang out with Richie and Ralf Mouth?

Just a note to say that the trips have now finished. The highlights included Milwaukee: home of the Fonz, Laverne & Shirley [?] and Miller Beer [the purpose of my visit]; Johannesburg: home of gun crime, inequality and South African Breweries [the purpose of my visit]; and Woking: train home please! Will be taking 4 weeks off when the baby arrives and then, who knows.

Here's a photo.

Seeya
S

Photos!

2007-09-09T19:41:00.001Z

... of course we moved back home - though the house still looked like this......

We had a lovely time at the Big Chill in August. It's so kiddy-friendly. As Niamh said we met Tom & Ben and ate great food and relaxed and it was lovely. Joe was on great form.

Joe's first haircut!

We spent a great day with Suzy and Adie and Sophie and Chloe in Newbury. Joe & Sophie loved the paddling pool.

Back online at last!

2007-09-07T18:59:00.000Z

I'm sure you've probably given up on this blog by now but we're back in the land of broadband finally - hurrah!
Since our last post it's been all go here. We've moved back into our house, the kitchen is just about finished and all that's left to do in the main room is the folding doors and kitchen window. Once that's done, the floor can be finished and I'm hoping the tiler can come at the same time as the glass people to cut down on the disruption.
We're still surrounded by boxes but the number of them is slowly decreasing. Conor and Liz are coming on Sunday en route to the Police (lucky things) to help with the bookshelves and a few other things but be warned if you do come to visit you'll be given jobs to do!
Joe had his first haircut the other week - the barber got a bit over enthusiastic but he looks like a little boy now, not a baby any more.
We had a great time at the Big Chill. Stopped at Lucknam Park on the way up, had a fabulous dinner there while Joe had the most glamorous babysitter in the world, ever! Met Tom and Ben at the Big Chill on the Saturday and had fun hanging out at the barn dance. Joe was keen to try out their pear cider and was investigating curious smelling cigarettes! It was a really family friendly festival and we'll definitely go next year and might even camp! Mr Scruff was my festival highlight as he played Ian Dury, but he was closely followed by Sir Norman Jay on the Sunday. The food was fantastic as usual and other memorable moments were the candle lit paper balloons released at night time, as we went home you could see dozens of them across the valley; also the tree with the cycle-powered lanterns both Joe and Simon enjoyed those! It was nice to go back to a hotel room though for a hot shower and a proper bed, also strange sleeping in the same room as Joe again.
The Grogan's have filled our house with baby stuff so we really don't need anything now for the new baby. They've lent us things I had no idea we needed - how did we manage without them before!!
Mum came over on a flying visit for her first gig ever - Rolling Stones at the Dome - and tackled the bamboo in the back garden, the Tenko look is now a distant memory!
Simon and I have had a good run at the cinema lately, Mum babysat so that we could go and see the Bourne Ultimatum in Richmond - what a fantastic film, but absolutely exhausting to watch - good job we went to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen beforehand, I would never have made it through otherwise! Claire babysat the other night and we went to see Knocked Up, a surprisingly funny one, although a few teenage boys were in shock by the end and I made sure I wasn't the first to stand up at the end in case any of them fainted!
New babies are arriving left, right and centre, I had to buy 10 new baby cards at John Lewis the other day! Gill and Ali had another boy, Cameron. Beata our cleaner had a girl, Kamilla, Beverley had another girl, Maya and Emma's had a boy, Freddy. Joe has a baby doll to get used to at the moment, he takes feeding her very seriously and I'm hoping he gives the real baby as many kisses!
Just as we're contemplating more nights in, we've signed up to Virgin+ basically a cheap version of Sky+. After weeks of no telly we're overdosing on telly now, and Simon's back in the UK to enjoy it! He's even made it home for bath time during the week so we all remember who he is again!