Well I have been away a while so thought I would report back on our first month with 2 children in the house !

firstly our little Sophia is adorable, cute and cuddly

She has suffered from bad wind though, Colic every night !

We have been through the mill with Health Visitor with Lactose Free powdered milk (In case that was the problem) Coleif drops, Infacol, Dentinox. You name it we have tried it lol

All to no avail it seems, guess we are just going to have to wait it out as from memory Izzy had similar and outgrew it at around 3 months old, so only 2 months of no sleep to go

We have just reached the smiling stage and both Jue and I got a little smile out of DD just yesterday

We have settled on a pattern that suits our lifestyle for these initial first few months. Due to the Colic Sophia doesn't sleep that well or predictably during the night so to ensure we both get at least some sleep we are working shifts.

I retire for the night at 19:30-20:00 inevitably either with Izzy asleep next to me or she ends up coming into Julie and my room sometime during the night (more on that later), Jue then shakes me at 01:30 and I get up and take over and Jue sleeps through until 07:30ish

This would work fine if it weren't for Izzy !!, she has become very, very clingy with Jue ever since the birth of Sophia, which we expected anyway but it is hard to cope with. The funny thing is we also expected some sibling jealously but we haven't had any of that at all, in fact Izzy is very affectionate to her new "baby sister" and wants to help wind her, change her nappy, have on lap etc etc which is one good point lol

The problem is this clinginess is manifesting itself as insecurity, she wakes numerous times during the night crying out for "Mommy !", Julie tried to taker her to nursery for a few morning a week to give her some time to do things, but the very first session within 30 minutes we got a call from the Nursery staff to say to pick up Izzy as she was inconsolable ! (Jue is going back to Nursery tmrw to attend a session and going to stay around at the Nursery for a while with Izzy to see if that helps her settle there better)

obviously with a limited sleep cycle of around 5hours any disruption can be murder and Julie and I are walking around in a zombie state most of the time, irritable and dead on our feet, but alas Cest la Vie, it will improve. please, please, please let it improve

Its been fairly easy to settle back into the baby care regime, nappy change, feed, wind, sleep, nappy change, feed, wind, sleep lol

without being too visual or shocking, its a helluva lot easier to change baby nappy that Izzys' as baby nappies are how can i say it ahem less loaded

although Sophia has this tendency to do a wee just as you are midway between changing nappies and then it turns into logistical nightmare as you try and placate a crying baby, dig through baby changer shelves trying to find replacement baby grow and vest (now soaked in Wee) lol

I hope this gives you a quick update on proceedings so far lol

Will upload some photos to the photo gallery now

http://www.mylittlecutey.com/gallery/members/daveb/sophia/
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Well thought I would start keeping a blog whenever time permits of a fathers viewpoint with a second baby due

We already have our llittle cutey Isabella (Izzy) and now our second baby whom we have decided will be called Sophia is due within a week

Already we have decorated the nursery no.2 in preparation, the old cot and bits and bobs from Izzy have been dug out of the loft, bleached and cleaned and are ready for use again, the main advantage of having another girl

Izzy has been prepared as best we can with lots of n"new baby" books, chat and role play and the idea that the new baby sister will be here soon with a nice big present for her

Granny is here and helping out in preparation for the birth, Izzy chats non stop to Granny and keeps her on her toes lol

Every day we wander will this be "the day" and every day Julies mood darkens as it draws to a close as she realises it wasn't to be this day and she has to go through another uncomfortable day
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Hi im Nina,
about my son
Name: James Hamish Benjamin
Sex: boy
Born: 22 October, 2008
Starsign: Libra
Biggest achievement so far: Smieling, laughing and rolling over

Birth details
Original due date: 11th October
Type of delivery: Cesarean section
Duration of labor: 3 long days
Weight @ birth: 10 pound 7

James-Hamish-Benjamin`s birthstory
Hiya all,
I had my little boy on 22nd by c-section i was in labour for 3 painful days so heres how it started!
It was Monday the 20th at 9:30 in the morning i was in treige waiting room after being 9 days over due and me and my hubby we sitting nattering on to another girl and her friend (mine was mostly rubbish as i chatter when nervouse) then we were both called and placed in 2 different rooms opposit each other as i walked in the room 3 women were in labour and being taken out for delivery jesus i still remember the screams !

I was given a vaginal pessery at 5pm and told to walk around after lying down for 45mins so i did as i was told and i felt twinges in one side of my bump and at 9 pm i was saying goodbye to hubby and giving him a check list just in case i needed him,
but the following morning i was engaged and was contracting every 5 minutes they just wernt doing anything so i was moved into delivery room where i met my 2 midwifes Cleo and sarah and they were brilliant so i was made to walk again ( i must have paced the coridors more times then ive had hot dinners lol)
when i came bk my contractions were every 2 mins then every1 minute but still wernt working so i had a pictocin drip put in and through the whole proceedure i was in tears and saying `im so frightend` over and over again but within minutes it was done and i realised wot a hypocondreact i really am ( im very afraid of needles)

After a few hours my contractions were fast and long and i was in agony so midnight that night i was on gas and air and within a few hours i was told i was over stimulating so had a jab of pethadine but it didnt help and they took me off my drip to slow the contractions down but it didnt work and now my baby was back to back and stuck let me tell you ouch!!!

8am rolled around the next morning and the midwifes swaped over again and they examend me and i cried please help me i need a c-section i was in soo much pain they started to prep me and i was given all this instructions and questions and paper to sight and i was in tears!

well i got into theter and was given another drip and then the spinal block supprisingly it didnt hurt !!
i was laid down and i could feel the spinal working and in came my hubby dressed up in green (looked like the incredible hulk if you ask me) and at 8:44 am he was here ! and all i could here was he is huge i got a quick glimps and told he weighs 10 pound 7 and is gawgus then my baby and partner went to the recovery room to give him a full M.O.T while they stiched me up and then i was in the recovery room while the tried to sort my blood pressure after a while i was able to have my boy placed on my breast so i could have skin to skin contact with him and i loved it we were then placed on the delivery ward and i was given my own room with on suite shower and toilet and b.day and a mini fridge and a electric bed i felt like a queen!

I stayed for 2 nights at the hospital and on frieday i was released to go home at 8pm i was soo excited we are now on Sunday at 22:10pm and here i am letting you all no James Hamish Benjamen McAleer has arrived im just adding some pics up now for you all.

Its an amazing feeling being a mum he is worth it!
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Sat around at lunch today with Jue and Izzy, and i am amazed how well she is coming on with drinking milk from a cup rather than a bottle.

She did however have a little milk rage and drop some on the floor, table, chair and herself lol

Her new phrase of the day no doubt picked up from mommy is "Daddy behave !!"


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Julie had her 30 week scan yesterday

All is well, baby is 3lb in size already !

We had to take Izzy with us which tested patience levels a little as we were there for >2hrs lol

The ultrasound room was empty bar me and Jue when the nurse stepped out briefly so i took the initiative and took a quick snap of the ultrasound machine and its varied attachments for you all to see its in the Ultrasound picture section of the photo gallery below

http://www.mylittlecutey.com/gallery/ultrasound/
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The whole family went out to Phear park in Exmouth today for a cold but nice walk

Izzy collected leaves for leaf drawing and etching, OH played with Bradley our Labrador

Izzy had a lovely time in the childrens park section on the swings
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Hi I thought I would start a new blog about my 2 little boys.

We always wanted 2 lads and thats what we have and they are wonderful.

Hard work, demanding, delightful, hilarious etc etc

We have ups and downs and when things are bad they will say or do something which cancels out the stress/exhaustion/frustration from just moments before.

I found the births a nightmare, I didn't find terrible 2s the case - but more terrible 3's, toilet training I find a nightmare and its relentless.

I love cuddling up with the boys in the eveing after they have been bathed and are content and sleepy and cuddly - its a special time and I like to ensure they go to bed happy.

It's certainly a learning curve and I feel sorry for couples who want babies and can't have them or who missed their opportunity and live to regret it.

I think they should be planned and wanted and not 'accidents'.

I think there should be more support for parents - especially for mums who have no family help/support.

Emotional support/advice is invaluable,

I have found freinds to be great for advice and baby groups give you a nice network of friends if you work at it. Also your children need friends/other relationships outside of the immediate family.


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Here is a very helpful article for all parents to read. “This information was taken from the free e-book, “The Parent’s Guide to Calming a Crying Baby.” If you’ve just had a newborn baby, then you may less than thrilled to learn that he or she may have colic. Colic is when your baby just won’t stop crying, and can possibly cry for hours at a time.

If your baby is crying a lot, be certain that you take him or her to the doctor before automatically assuming that it’s just colic. There can be any number of things that can cause your baby to cry, so you certainly want to rule out any health-related problems.

If it is colic, rest assured that it’s not causing any permanent damage to your child. It may sound like they are in intense pain, but this is basically because they respond with loud crying for any pain they are in. Remember, if they have a blanket stuck on their foot, they will cry like the world is coming to an end. This is just what babies do.

AND, remember, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT! You didn’t do anything wrong to cause this. Here are some tips that work for many parents.

One of the best ways to relieve the constant crying of your newborn suffering from colic is by utilizing an innovative technique known as swaddling. This basically involves wrapping your baby up tightly in a blanket; this has been proven to work quite effectively in parts of the world such as Asia and Africa. You may notice that they usually wrap their babies up tightly and may even carry them around.

Listed below is an easy step-by-step guide to swaddling:

1. Put your baby down on a blanket with his or her arms directly by his or her side.
2. Next, you should wrap your baby up very tightly as if putting him or her in a straight jacket. You need to do this in order to keep his or her arms pinned tightly to his or her sides. Just be certain that he or she is able to breathe freely, but yet still tight enough to allow this to work. Initially, your baby may try to struggle to get free but you need to make certain that he or she keep the arms his or her sides.
3. Finally, you should be certain that the blanket is secure. Do what you have to do to make certain that it is very snug. A good way to do this is with duct tape, even though you may get some funny looks if you’re out in public, but this is guaranteed to do the trick.

This may take a few minutes for your baby to get used to, so you should expect it to take a little while before your baby adjusts to this. Usually, after a very short period of time your baby will be get accustomed to his or her new situation and hopefully you’ll experience the results of swaddling by continuous quietness, rather than crying.

Al Lipper’s experience includes child psychology, teaching and professional writing. He and his wife Aurora have two boys (both of whom had colic). If you would like more information on helping your baby, feel free to download a free copy of their e-book “The parent’s guide to calming a crying baby” from www.ThePeacefulBaby.com.
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Today Im 37 weeks and 4 days only 17 days till baby is due cant wait got almost everything just need to get a stroller now but tht can wait untill baby is here I Cant Wait Untill I Meet The New lil One That I Have Made Well Thats It For Today People Come Back soon and i should have a new post done xxx
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We took Izzy down to Exmouth beach today and she had a lovely runaround on the beach with Bradley our Labrador.

She is now playing house with her cousin Billy.
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