Going Green

Sue and I have been attempting to be as green as possible. Recycling here, walking there, and just doing our part. We even have Ecotricity as our electricity provider, those low-watt light bulbs and we turn off all our electrical points when not needed.

The logical next step then is obviously good for the environment nappies. I was quite into getting these before Emily was born (obviously really unaware how many she'd need and what type of mess to expect). We were using the disposables for the first few months, waiting for her movements to become more solid and less frequent.

They're not there yet, but we've starting toying with the OneLife nappies that we shelled out £275 for at the Bounty Babyshow back in March.

Having used and gotten used to the disposables, there is a wicked seduction to overcome when using reusable nappies. The change and bin mentality is good for quickness, but bad for the environment.

We're now in the soak, wash, etc. mode and sometimes it's just wet with pee nappies other times... well, it can be worse.

100% reusable still hasn't been achieved for various reasons - it's still easier to use disposables when out and about and the bulk of the reusables renders some of her clothing WAY too small.

I just hope we can reduce some of the c1800 nappies her baby that end up in landfills.

Baby Dreams

As she spends more time asleep than awake, I often wonder what - if anything - does Emily spend her "downtime" dreaming about. I often have major difficulty remembering my dreams, whereas Sue is quite apt at regaling me with tales of sleepytime amazement.

I figure Emily is processing all the experiences of the day, and all the things she knows. So that would be Sue as mummy and primary food source and myself as someone who's there sometimes.

I guess as she builds up an arsenal of experiences, from rain and snow, to seeing doggies and cats, experiencing wind and seeing and feeling grass for the first time, she'll be able to develop some robust dreams.

I'd so wish for one of "Unky Herb" Simpson's baby translators, so we could just ask Emily. I assume soon she'll be dreaming of Dora the Explorer, and Barbie's (mis)adventures with Ken... sigh.

Passport relief

After numerous headaches trying to get it, Emily's first passport FINALLY arrived today.

Now she can leg it around the world, with or without mum and dad, at will. With nothing to do until she goes to school in about 3 years, that's a lot of travelling she could cram in!

I'm still a bit p.o.ed that she can't be on ours until she's 16 just like we were on our parents. I guess the cash grab just starts a few years younger now.

Getting to grips with things

I guess this early on in a child's development, everything is a major achievement. Still, it doesn't cease to amaze easily-amazed parents.

This week's amazing achievement from Emily is that she's started to grip things with her little fists of fury, focus on them, and them ram them into her gob. At this point, she grimaces and takes them out again... whether it be her book of colours or Mousey.

The miracle of this is that about a week ago, she'd only grip things if you forced her fist open, stuffed the object in her fist and then closed her fingers around the object.

I now hold out much hope of her lifting an X-box 360 controller very soon and trouncing me at just about every game we play together.

Angry frustrations

Well, tonight Emily pushed me to the limits. I know when babies cry there's something wrong. The "testing parents" phase doesn't come until around six months.

The last couple of nights Emily has put her real inconsolable cry on. Last night, Sue managed to rectify it by feeding her and have her drop off to sleep. Tonight, with Sue at school doing an exam, daddy wasn't so lucky. The initial feed was rejected but after a nappy change, was hungrily accepted.

Then... oh, then, dear reader. The choking, gasping, horrific incessant cry began and just would not stop. I attempted to burp and nothing came out. I walked around the flat, albeit deafened in one ear by blood curdling screams; I checked nappies that contained no soil; In short, there was nothing bloody wrong with her. The only thing I can surmise is she was tired and didn't know how to deal with it.

Toward the end I was ready to lose my rag. I put her in her bed and let her cry herself to sleep. The couple of times I checked in on her, when the cries subsided, resulted in her seeing me and ramping up the volume again.

It's been a disasterous night, and I really worry about what I would have done had Emily pushed my ire past the brink. I love the little blighter deep down but tonight I got a glimpse into the darker side of life and it frightened me. It frightened me a lot.

Even now, shaking somewhat from the evenings events, I just want to pick her up (she eventually cried to sleep) and apologise and just play with her, cooing and the like.

It's only 10.5 weeks in and I'm failing as a parent. This isn't good.

Update: I'm going to keep this website close to hand from now on http://www.health-in-action.org/cryingbaby

Another first!

Last night Emily slept through the night. Now this won't be of any interest to anyone but Sue, myself and Emily!

Uninterrupted sleep is the holy grail of any parent and getting it back is a step in the right direction of baby growth and happy parenting.

More of this type of behaviour please, Emily.

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Now playing: The Killers - Change Your Mind
via FoxyTunes

Big bubby!

10 weeks ago today, Sue gave birth to Emily. At that time, she was an amazingly large child for her age and we looked at her in wonderment.

Today she's 10 weeks old and comparatively, she's monsterous! There's outfits she doesn't fit into, and her baby bath is ALMOST too small. Sue feels that the Moses basket that has been her nightly slumber home since birth is almost at the end of its useful life. We will be getting a cot mattress very soon.

I guess children go through many phases, passing many milestones along the way. You tend to remember the big ones - first word, first step, first child, etc. You don't remember the first time she didn't fit into her birth outfit or the first time she sleeps in her own room... or maybe you do, as I'm pretty sure Sue and I will.

I'm sure as sure can be that there'll be loads more firsts that'll come and go and be lost to the mists of time.

Immunisation Jabs

Took Emily to get her immunisation jabs yesterday.

We were told she'd probably have a reaction against them as they're really just small (mostly harmless) doses of illness to which one develops immunities. Thankfully there was no side-effects... yet. Emily came through the "ordeal" like a trooper. There were tears, probably her first tears, but that was probably a mix of the jab pain and her hunger, as she was wailing like a banshee before the jabs.

We bought some Calpol at Boots just to be safe regarding any side effects, and dosed her up during feeding to be on the safe side. One of the side effects of Calpol (apparently) is your child sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. Between 3pm and midnight she was awake for a total of about 40 minutes.

Why parents don't go down the Calpol route all the time for a restful evening's peace was made clear by the warning, something about excessive use can cause liver failure.

Today's measurements

Sue went to get Emily measured today down the clinic. From the facts and figures, she's growing quite well.

Having been born at 9lb 15oz, Emily is now weighing at a healthy 13lb 14oz, just shy of a stone!

She's grown in height by 5cm in 9 weeks, from 57cm to 62cm, so she's now officially over 2ft tall.

Her head circumference is apparently off the scale for her age at 42.5cm. She was born with a circumference of 40cm.

From what we've been told all is well and Emily is doing amazingly well, so that's good.

Passport to hell

For the last month or so, my overwhelming concern has been to get Emily's passport sorted out so we go on our booked and paid for trip to Spain at the end of June.

If this was the 70s or 80s, all this would have entailed was adding her name to the dependants portion at the back of my passport and probably alerting the authorities I'd done this. Now, I have to fill out some labyrinthine document, in the correct colour, and jump through various hoops that aren't outlined anywhere.

The first steps are easy, go to a photo booth and get the shots done, go to the post office and get an app. I then found a mate to countersign the application, saying he'd known me for two years, and was a British passport holder. Then the problems set in ...

Passport application take 1. I signed my name in the box, but hit the edge of the box.

Passport application take 2. Written in blue ink.

Passport application take 3. Where's the birth certificate.

Having quickly hurried back to the post office with said document we move on to ...

Passport application take 4. Now the countersigned certification on the back of the photo is a bit big and, when cropped, won't fit on the back of the photo properly. I would like to point out here, this requirement is not mentioned anywhere (and I think the post office woman made it up).

Passport application take 5. Finally, I hit pay dirt, pay my money and am away, one month and 2 days since we got the first application and photos taken. However, we're not out of the woods, as I was made aware that the passport office may not accept the application as her eyes in the photo aren't straight (her head is at an angle). To this end, the receipt I received with post office stamps all over it has the word "advised" next to the word "Photos".

So, after more than a month, I still don't know where we stand with the application of my baby's first passport, but I have paid for it.

Emily should finally get her passport in the next 2-3 weeks, but as it's her first passport there may be an interview required. Can't wait for that.

Bureaucracy is a beautiful thing.