Being a girl

I have been reliably informed that when your child is born the testosterone levels in the father decreases. This is to allow father and child to bond, it also turns the father into a girl.

Instance No 1 -
Happily sitting on the sofa watching Casino Royale with the boys (Cian and the dog) and I should have been marveling at the beautiful Aston Martin DB9 sport with added defibrillator or the array of fine stunts and Daniel Craig's new super macho version of 007. I say should have been because what actually happened is that I was sitting there and blurted out, "He loves her, oh man he loves her. She's going to die now" and it was delivered without an ounce of irony or sarcasm. I meant it I was worried for Bond and how would he cope if she died, he has never opened is heart....
See what I mean? I'm not supposed to think or say those things.

Instance No 2 -
In the kitchen with the misses chatting about our anniversary and what to have for dinner whilst enjoying a really lovely embrace (see doing it again) I opened my eyes and glanced over her shoulder and said "sorry babe there is a mark on the fridge door" I picked up a cloth, ran it under the hot tap, walked over to the fridge and wiped the mark away. Then picked up a paper towel to wipe away the water mark left by the cloth and then turned round to see the misses open mouthed with jaw on the floor before I said "I'm turning into a woman please make it stop!!"

I feel a little more like my old self today, perhaps I'll put on Apocalypse Now and marvel at the natural beauty of the Vietnamese fauna and flora......no no no that's not hows it goes......

In a blink of an eye

A week has passed since our little miracle appeared and boy has it been busy.

Cian and Amanda we're kept in the hospital until Monday so the specialists could keep an eye on them both. There were some difficulties during the later stages of labour but all is well with them both. I was so very pleased to have them home with me at last.

It's an amazing experience the birth of a child. We had waited and hoped that maybe one day we would be fortunate enough to get there. We dared to dream, had hopes dashed and felt the pits of despair. This baby of ours was so wanted and we are happier than we could have ever imagined.

I hope that other bloggers can find hope as we did and that you also dare to dream.

With Love xxx

Hello Sunshine

Bean arrived today at 13:50 (London time)

Name: Cian Thomas John (Surname)
Weight: 7lb 2oz

Mum and baby doing well, everyone is exhausted after 2 days with no sleep but so very delighted. I'm in a state of delerium. I must sleep but here are some pix:

Any day now

Still awaiting the arrival of Bean.
A is sleeping much better and I'm being less of a pain in the hole!

There was a meteor shower last Sunday which coincided with the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death and I was sure Bean would arrive, alas......

Thanks again to you all for your support and kind words and site visits.
This blog community is very special to me and I enjoy reading about others life experiences. It not only keeps my feet on the ground but provides such comfort knowing there are many people going through difficult circumstances and coming out the other side.

Heres hoping and praying that the next few days continue to bring us good fortune

The Boxer

consultant
noun [C]
1 someone who advises people on a particular subject:
a management/financial/computer consultant
a firm of public relations consultants

2 UK a specialist (= doctor with special training and knowledge in a particular area of medicine)

3 A breed of patronising asshole who really deserves to be kicked in the bollocks at regular intervals thus ensuring the smug persona is kept in check

_______________________________________________

The hospital visit went pretty well and if Bean decides not to appear before, then the misses is booked in for Induction next Saturday (18th).
The scan showed Bean is healthy but the sad thing is that we struggled to tell what was what at this late stage. I love looking at Bean on the ultrasound and marveling at the seemingly impossible sight of our little miracle.
A still expects to be told that there is no baby there and it's all been a mistake.

Measurements are all just above average to initial fears of a whopper have been allayed. Bean should weigh something like 7lb 11oz.
The sonographer, maternity assistant and midwife were all very friendly and a pleasure to deal with.
The consultant on the other hand was feckin eejit. Why do they have to speak like you are a dribbling moron? Needless to say I had to put him straight and the remainder of the consultation was very matter of fact. I know I shouldn't be surprised or angered but man they get on my tits with the way they treat you.

If there is any news over the weekend then I'll keep the blog updated.

Take care everyone
Px

How do you sleep?

4am - "sorry I didn't mean to scare you"

I must have looked terrified being woken by the slightest of touches by A.
Thing is I've been sleeping so very well the past few weeks. You could say that my sleep is more akin to hibernation. Today though we were both awake at 4 and not getting up to catch a flight.

The misses has been having sh*t sleeping patterns and rarely gets more than 3 hours at a time. As she commented yesterday "if the bodies way of preparing you for sleep deprivation is by depriving you of sleep then how does that stack up?"

We are going to see a consultant at the hospital tomorrow and may need another scan to check everything is ok. Don't think there is anything to worry about but if there is the slightest concern then rest assured I will blow it up, keep it inside and worry like Mr Worrier winner of last years biggest worrier of the year competition.

Happy/excited and just a little scared!!

Somebody told me

2 weeks to go and the evil hormones have kicked in!! Poor A she is fed up and has a bad foot, is suffering from a severe lack of sleep and the British Summer has finally arrived. I'm doing my best impression of a good supportive husband and so far so good. I think I'm getting to grips with this whole thing.

I'm so very excited now and everyday feels like christmas eve.

The 'Travel System' arrived yesterday. In the old days they called it a pushchair but in an effort to justify the high cost and generate interest from the male of the species they came up with the masterstroke of calling it a 'Travel System'.

It's brilliant, pram this way, do a bit of pushing pulling and un-popping of buttons and hey its a pushchair. The car seat also clips straight into the frame. It also has an assortment of attachements, rain cover, warm foot cover (small and large), sun blind thing and a couple of other bits to keep me amused. The car seat fits well and with practice I think I'll manage to get the process down to 7-10 seconds like the Ferarri F1 pit team. Sh*t, never thought I'd be so happy to have a pushchair/travel system.

Baby Bean is getting big and indications are that it'll be around or above the 9lb weight. Looks like another scan is required as the baby is gonna be big. All the bags are packed, we have 4 in total. 2 for Bean, 1 for A and 1 general bag with the camera, video camera, sweets & snacks, medical notes, lists...
My mate also advised me to put a pillow in the car with a change of clothes, man its like going on vacation and every bit as exciting.

My head is being fixed by the head doctor and everything is much more positive.