Hanging out with Ladies

Stefanie's mother arrived yesterday for a few days. Here she is with Elias.

And Stefanie with Elias...

Wednesday, 28th September 2005

Cat-napping

This was taken on Saturday morning. Note the unintentional symettry in our arms.

Hoping Pushkar is sleeping as little as possible cos last night he led me to a mouse in our kitchen!!! Horrified, but already have Rentokil on the job.

Today I had lunch with a friend of mine from Blackheath days, Pippa. Was really good to see her after what has been years. Felt like we just picked up where we'd left off. She has a young child, Nelly. Talked babies - and other stuff, honest!

Jungle Gym

Yesterday afternoon we went over to Lucky's for Jude's first birthday. Our first baby birthday party. Si, Nessa and Cassius were there too. Was good to see them all and see that baby gathering don't have to be boring..... though we did all talk a lot about babies ;) Having eaten lots of cake we came away with the Jungle Gym that Jude has grown out of. This morning, before I left for work, we set it up for Elias...

Dawn's early light

Well, as dawn broke today I was up and about fetching water for Elias' nappy change. Next thing I know I'm putting the washing on and then, taking full leave of my senses, I started to make cauliflower soup. Hard to believe I used to be such a night-owl, never saw dawn and never went to bed what I now consider to be the right side of midnight ;)

So, it's now after 7am and the flat is filled with the unmistakeable odour of cauliflower which for some reason takes me back to when I used to go down to Greenwich Market on a Sunday morning to buy records and when I got home the smell of a Sunday roast had filled the house. Mmmmmmmmm, roast!

Talking of the past, as I sit here I can see a photo of me twelve years ago playing guitar in Chris' garden in the Auvergne and another of Stefanie, taken by her friend Henry, in a sandwich shop in Los Angeles.

Things to look forward to today? Our first baby party for Ben's boy Jude. One year old! Plus all the decadent sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll things we normally squeeze in to a Sunday...

..........why was i writing about dawn at all? cos the sky was beautiful this morning.

Dimanche matin - on est debout depuis 6:30am - 6:30-7:00am c'est l'heure de reveil d'Elias!....D'habitude il nous fait des grands sourires, des googoogaga, on joue avec lui, puis la journee commence! - Aujourd'hui la journee a commence avec Paul qui a decide de faire la lessive a 7h, puis etant dans la cuisine, il n'a pas resiste a preparer une soupe au choufleure! (odeur de reve un dimanche matin!!!)

Hier samedi, je suis allee me faire faire une pedicure! Yey! quel pied! (c'est le cas de dire!!) -- C'etait la premiere fois que je laissais Elias tout seul avec Paul pendant 1h30! ohhhhhhhhhh que c'etait dure! je n'ai pas resiste a telephoner 2 x pour checker! tout c'est bien passe bien sure! (il a pleure pendant 15min mais c'etait rendormi! oui oui je sais! certain diront que ca lui fait du bien de pleurer!!! ;)).

...et aujourd'hui, nous allons a....l'anniversaire de Jude (1 an), fils de lucky Ben! ..et nous allons obtenir un baby gym pour Elias!

Jeudi passe nous sommes alles chez le docteur pour son "6 weeks check up" - et....Elias pese 5kg300, mesure 55cm - et est en excellente sante! Tout le monde est epate par son developement (me disent (oh en tout cas vous n'avez pas de probleme d'allaitement!)

A bientot xx

Two firsts

Today, two firsts.

First first was that I was looking after Elias for an hour and a half while Stefanie went for a pedicure. We were in Maida Vale so I took him to the park. Walked around a few times until the footballers, cricketers, martial artists, cyclist and other assorted parklife. Then, when I was certain he was asleep, I found a bench and sat down to watch the cricket match. Lucky me. He slept for an hour and a quarter despite little kids on bikes with noisy stabilisers, a little French girl on a noisy scooter, the clattering of martial arts swords and the cheers each time someone in bat was bowled out. Basically he finally woke up and walked back to find Stefanie.

Second first. Elias went into Central London for the first time. A thrilling trip to Tottenham Court Road left him nonplussed but proof of concept.... he can be taken into town :)

40-a-day man

Stefanie and I had a bet last night as to what Elias' weight would be when he went for his 6-week appointment today. Stef said 5.1kg. I went for 5.3kg and then thought I better factor in some weight loss for his thrush so I rounded down to 5.2kg. He came in at 5.29kg and now I'm gutted we didn't put money on it. Anyway, basically he's still on his 40g per day growth. Doing the maths, if he keeps going at this rate he'll be the same size as me by March next year!!

Fountains

Today the most amazing thing happened. We had heard previously, and been sceptical, of the phenomenon where a mother's milk can start flowing when she merely thinks about her baby. Today as Stefanie was talking about Elias, and a worry she had about him, milk started to shoot out of her nipples!

The other thing today was that I picked up some photos from Snappy Snaps which included a few we hadn't seen taken by our midwife just minutes after the birth. I hadn't realised how I had already filed those memories away and the photos with Elias looking *so* new born just brought it all back.

Go see the doctor!

So today we decided to try and sort out this thrush. Having tried a prescription to no avail and homeopathic remedies also without success, and following twelve hours of barely feeding, we took him to the weekend telephone baby doctor service at St Pancras hospital - a crumbling old late 19th century relic behind St Pancras. Wasn't sure about the place as we drove in past an almost "in the community" lunatic. But we were seen within five minutes by a pleasant doctor and were soon on our way to Superdrug in Chapel Market to pick up some non-organic potions!

Anyway fast forward through hours and hours of daytime sleep and we're over at Ben's picking up some (new) nappies and talking about this parenting lark. His boy, Jude, is one next week and has just started walking.

Fast forward again and it's almost 11pm and Elias has only just gone to sleep. Only 3 hours after we started trying to put him down. Another night of eating late and schedules and tomorrow back to the metro boulot dodo. Oh for three-day weekends...

....

Les weekend passent si vite!!..Vendredi deux copines (avec bb de 3 semaines) et moi, on se disaient.."vivement le weekend pour que nos hommes soient la pour nous aider"...et, c'est dimanche! Les weekends passent si/trop vite!

Samedi plutot cool...debout tot, puis petite promenade au parc , etc.etc.etc....
Aujourd'hui par contre...comme Elias a toujours ses candida dans la bouche (langue en particulier) et que le gel ou remedes homeopatiques de marchent pas, on l'a ammener chez un Dr. car depuis hier soir il mangait trop peu - donc debout tot ce matin, moi tres soucieuse voulais de l'action au plus vite - vers midi on etait sur le chemin pour des gouttes a mettre dans la bouche (non organic!!) avec grand espoir que ca va avoir l'effet voulu! - Ca me casse le coeur de voir mon cheri avec une langue toute blanche et tres peu comfortable surement!!!...
Et..voila...ce soir, chez l'ami de Paul (Lucky Ben) pour prendre des langes organics qu'il nous donne (car son petit est trop grand maintenant!) -- Puis finalement.....Il est 23h....Elias s'est endormi seulement vers 22h apres 2h de tantatives...impossible a le faire dormir!...oh lalalalalaaaaaa...c'est dure!

Demain on commence une classe de massage pour Elias et yoga pour moiiiiii...(cela si Elias le veut bien!) - La prof dit..." ne vous en faites pas si votre bb pleure...il y a toujours des bb qui pleurent dans la classe!!!..."

Bonne nuit et bonne semaine.
s

Saturday Sun

Up with the lark and on Hampstead Heath for some larks in full sunshine http://www.vlyrics.com/n/nickdrake2811/saturdaysun133121.html by 10am!

Great start to the day didn't last as Elias' oral thrush was really bothering him and interfering with his feeding. So in the evening we were back to the old way of trying to feed him, trying to put him down and eating late :(

The Godfather

My aunt Angie and uncle Stuart (The Godfather) came over last night. Elias slept the whole evening in Angie's arms which is quite an achievement.

This evening was another one of those evenings that looks like this. Get home, bath Elias, prepare food, try to get him to sleep, fail, eat, he goes to sleep, squeeze in an hour of things I want to do. Bed. At least it's a simple formula.

Sense of Purpose

My friend Ben (C) called in last night with a present from his parent for Elias - a fantastic bear. I love the way that so many kids toys are animal-based. We went for pint after to talk mainly about work and music ;) I was saying how having a pic of one's child on your desk is actually a great motivational tool. I find that every time I look at it I get a shot of energy and motivation. Strange.

Registration

A trip to Camden Town Hall to register Elias. He's now officially in the system!!

How was your weekend?

Sunday night and weekends are definitely not what they used to be. And this one in particular. Actually we did spend most of the afternoon in bed - which IS how Sundays used to be - only these days there is a little baby in the bed also!

He spent some time in the Wilkinette sling, which we got after failing to get on with the Tricotti. It's a question fo perserverance. He protests at the beginning but invariably sleeps in it. In fact yesterday Stefanie did the hoovering with him in the sling, without him waking up.

A big chunk of this weekend got lost in the aftermath of the burglary of the flat downstairs which we foiled last night. That's a whole long story you can ask me about but resulted in escorting endless policemen into the garden and the downstairs flat and giving statements.

There was something else I wanted to talk about but can't remember what it was now. Oh yeah, it was just Stefanie finding out that a friend of yours was pregnant and her expressing her worries made us realise what a long road it is just to get to the birth. And that's only then start of what's next.


Paul disait ci-dessus que nos weekends sont definitivement tres different du passe!!!... Nous avons passes la plupart de la journee au lit!..et ca, en fait, c'est assez pareil au passe!! a part que aujourd'hui il y avait un petit bebe entre nous!!

Sinon, notre weekend a ete occupe par la visite de la police a plusieurs reprises apres le cambriolage de l'appartement d'en dessous! oui, je changeait les langes d'Elias quand j'ai entendu des droles de bruits dehors et ai demande a Paul de voir par la fenetre...il y a avait un cambrioleur en bivoique avec son bras dans la fenetre de la salle de bain de l'appart d'en dessous!!..on a pris des photos, appele la police..etc.... Voila...tout ca a pris du temps!

byzoux a tous

Friday night!

Yey!...c'est vendredi! je me rejouis du weekend car Paul est la! et on est 2 pour s'occuper d'Elias! Meme que...cette semaine a ete beaucoup plus facile a part un ou deux jours...aujourd'hui ca a ete une journee magnifique! Elias et moi sommes alles au parc (Hamstead Heath) - on s'est mis sur un banc ou comme vue on avait une piece d'art (d'un artiste italien...le nom..hmm.. je sais plus) qui consiste en une tres haute table et une chaise (suppose en bois)! c'est enorme et surprenant dans un parc! ...Puis pour la premiere fois j'ai change Elias dans sa poussette!! apres qu'il ait fait 3 cacas...il fallait bien faire quelque chose! - Sinon..il m'a fait pleins de sourires, puis on a danse sur les musiques de radio Nova (oui la radio Parisienne!), puis je lui ai chante des chansons comme d'habitude (il aime bien ma voix je crois! ou est-il oblige?? hahahaaaa) et voila...Ah, et hier soir on a pris notre premier bain ensemble!!!......il a adore!!! - La il dort paisiblement, Paul et a cote de lui (il lit) et moi j'ai le temps de m'occuper un peu de moi et d'ecrire sur le blog.

Je nous ai inscrit (Elias et moi) a 3 sessions de..."postnatal starter course" - 3 classes a l'Active Birth Centre ou j'ai fait mes cours preparatoires a l'accouchement. Ces 3 sessions consistent en...massages pour bebe, yoga pour moi, puis discussions (toujours tres interessant et utile) etc....

Big byzoux a tous

s

When do we start a routine?

As I said the other day, advice flies in from here and there. One of the things currently demanding an opinion is when we start to introduce a routine. Some people do it from day one. We decided Elias would get at least 6 weeks grace of full attention and fluid timetable before introducing a routine. Spoke to my friend Paul in Luxembourg today and her said that with his daughter Zoe they started introducing routine somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks. Lots of people say that you need it in order to get sleep, etc yourself. So we're at week 5 and will be facing this one soon. Apparently it's very hard to get used to not attending to your baby when they cry. I could go on in great detail about this routine thing but suffice to say - he doesn't have one now, he'll be introduced to one before we're too deep into October!

On another note, this evening I caught Elias hanging out in the bath with a hot chick!
Couldn't believe it so I took up my camera and snapped a few. Here's one of them...

Eating with Elias

Advice/conseil

People can be full of advice.

Here's a note from my aunt:

"Best piece of advice I ever had was - don't worry about what the books or other people tell you that you should be doing. It's what suits and works for you and Elias that matters. So go with that! Angie."

Good advice.

Ci dessus, un conseil de la tante de Paul que je traduis ci dessous:

"Le meilleur conseil que j'ai jamais recu - Ne t'en fait pas, ne te soucies pas de ce que les livres et les gens te disent de faire. Ce qui te conviens a toi et Elias est ce qui compte; suis cela."

Aaah..les conseils..quels sont les bons, quels sont les mauvais??...

Elias a 1 mois aujourd'hui!

Bonne nuit a tous.

1 mois

Wow! Elias a 1 mois demain, mardi!...On y crois pas! Les premiers jours nous ont l'air si loin...et si pres en meme temps! Les premieres soirees ou on ne savait que faire, comment proceder avec Elias, ou nos repas du soir etaient pris a 23h, ou changer son lange semblait SI complique et meticuleux!!!....Dire que aujourd'hui on a une routine serait exaggere!! Si quelqu'un a une routine apres 1 mois...please, telephonez moi pour m'expliquer! Mais au moins aujourd'hui on sait un peu plus a quoi s'attendre! Ha, c'est a dire moi accompagnee d'Elias a chaque repas du soir...Elias sur le bras gauche, la fourchette dans la main droite! Beaucoup de mes compatriotes m'ont rassure, c'est la seule facon de manger un repas a l'heure et en famille!...ou, moi a 2h et 4h du mat dans le salon en chantant "La haut sur la montagne....y avait un vieux chalet..." pour essayer de calmer mon petit amour qui est entrain de peter et souffrir!...etc.etc.

J'entre dans ma deuxieme semaine seule avec Elias la journee! La premiere a ete assez dure je dois dire! surtout le jour ou j'ai cru que Elias mourait de chaud dans la rue et ou apres ca il m'a fait caca dessus!!! oui apres l'avoir emmene en voiture au park sous 40 degres, n'ayant pas trouve de place de parc, puis Elias qui hurlait, j'ai decide de rentrer a la maison. Sur le chemin je me suis arretee pour acheter un truc et quand j'ai pris Elias il suait, etait tout pale et mou! j'ai eu la peur de ma vie! La dame du magasin m'a aidee et etant mere, elle m'a aussi rassuree! Puis a la maison j'ai decide de laisser Elias tout nu pour un moment pour le rafraichir et en le prenant dans mes bras......il m'a fait caca dessus! -- les 2 ou 3 nuits d'avant je n'avais pour ainsi dire pas dormi donc....ca c'etait la totale! Enfin...sinon il y a eu des hauts et des bas...mais ca va plutot vers le haut...je vous tiens au courant!

Parlant de "peter"...aujourd'hui je suis allee voir une specialiste de .."lactation" car je voulais comprendre pourquoi Elias mange si souvent, puis a autant de gaz etc.etc....et, j'ai appris qu'il souffre de candida dans la bouche (non pas de collique comme on croyait) et ces candidas non seulement lui font mal mais causent des gaz! ourrraahhh.... ca ce soigne en quelques jours! Je suis ravie.

Ah, et le Bugaboo (la poussette) quel bonheur! nous l'avons inauguree samedi a Hamstead Heath (park) c'est une poussette 4x4!! hahahaaaa...--- Ce weekend je dois ajouter, j'ai finalement eu le temps de me faire les doight de pieds (vernis et tout!!), un autre bonheur!

Il est 21:54 Elias dort....il va surement se reveiller dans les 30min a suivre alors, je vous laisse! J'en profite pour aller m'allonger a cote de lui dans le calme pour quelques instants avec ma chamomille! (Paul joue de la guitare).

A bientot!

s

PS: Elias a pris son 2eme bain avec papa...et...il n'aime pas! (le prochain sera avec moi!! ..je vous tiens au courant!)

Music for Babies pt.2

You can't always listen to baby music. So, there I am listening to Morrissey quite loud (deffo not baby music) only to have Stefanie and Elias come into the room. Damn, I have to turn it down. But joy oh joy Stefanie does not ask me to turn it off, and she proceeds to hum along to jolly pop classics such as Everyday is Like Sunday and The Last of the Famous International Playboys. Elias loves the humalong versions. I still get to hear Mozzer. Stefanie keeps both her boys happy and gets to reminisce about her days around Mozzer's entourage.

Road test

Road-tested the Bugaboo today up on Hampstead Heath. It was ideal. Fits neatly in the cat. Easy to assemble at the other end. Light and very pushable. Elias seemed pretty happy in it and we walked a large arc through the park with a stop for a feed halfway around and ice creams at the end.

As we came around the pond at the end a very cute little girl wandered past with a dog about twice the size of her. I'm sure if Elias was a few years older he would have noticed her first. Anyway I took a pic...here it is.

Bath time!

Elias spent the afternoon asleep in Stefanie's arms in next door's garden.

This evening he had his first full bath in the bath, with me. He hated it!

Prams and Pushchairs

The glamour of my new life is sometimes a shock, even to me. Straight after work today I went to John Lewis to make a final decision on a pram/pushchair and buy the winner. At half eleven tonight I was assembling it in the living room.

Which pram or pushchair? Sounds like it should be pretty straightforward, but no. Here's how I saw it...

Quinny Buzz - looks good, 12kg is very heavy, no good for 0-6 months without £130 pram attachment, fits with our car seat making a "travel system"!?!
Bugaboo - looks good, not cheap, very light, fits with our car seat making a "travel system"!?!.
Stokke - very expensive, looks a bit ridiculous, has baby high up = good for interaction
Silver Cross - bit big, no swivel wheels
Something like rally cross - has it's own car seat pram thing, would have been good if we didn 't already have car seat.

And there were more.

In the end I applied the following logic:
- light (in weight) for Stefanie
- what i would like if i were buying it for me

Bugaboo won. It's midnight. It's assembled. It's in the living room. Can't wait to get out on the Heath in it and, moreover, into the New Forest. Wish I could tow it on the back of my mountain bike :)


Aujourd'hui on a ete chez le docteur juste pour checke le couer et les poumons d'Elias et tout est parfait. Il pese maintenant 4kgs100 et il mesure 53cm. Elias est en pleine forme. On a passe une superbe journee et on se rejoui d'aller se promener dans le Bugaboo.

S.