How did it get to be July?

This one is for you Sandra (Gottacraft) - sorry it took so long!

I cannot believe that today is July and we are now half way through the year! The other day I was talking to my mum and I said that I felt that I hadn't really done anything this year ( eg holidays etc) , I then realised that I had done the biggest thing ever this year and gave birth to Matthew!

Today Matthew is 10 weeks old and as you can see from the pictures he is growing fast. He was weighed today and he is 13lb13. He loves his bottle and feeds really well. He is currently on 6 bottles a day and hopefully over the next couple of weeks he will go down to 5. We have a lovely bedtime routine now of story/bath/bottle and then into his moses basket by 10pm. He goes down brilliantly and straight to sleep. In fact we are going to start bringing this routine forward as he is often falling asleep earlier and we have to wake him up for the routine. At the moment he either sleeps or cries during the story but I know he is very young and hopefully he will grow to love it. Im enjoying all the stories - my current favourite is the Snail and the Whale. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

On the whole Matthew is sleeping round to between 4 and 5.30am. Although last night it was 3am (I think because he had only 5 bottles yesterday he was hungry). He is a noisy sleeper though with his grunts/snores and groans and often wakes me up even when he is asleep - but Im beginning to learn which noises I need to respond to and which are just him! ( Just like his father!)

Last week Matthew had his first jabs. I was very brave and so was he and he didnt cry too much at all. He was good in the evening and slept most of the morning the next day - sorry Sandra, Sandra and Michalanne that you didnt get cuddles! However he was a bit miserable for the rest of Thursday and Friday so they certainly had an impact on him ( the jabs - not my friends!) Next ones in another 4 weeks!

I cant believe I havent written a post for so long, but when I do get half hour free time I tend to get household jobs done first and then either scrapbook/sort photos or read. As Matthew starts to go to bed a little earlier though I should find a little more time in the evening. Im also getting less time during the day than the first weeks as he sleep less but then that is when he gets to play on his playmat or other activities. I love all the smiles and giggles we get at this time!

We continue to keep ourselves busy. I go out every day even its just a quick trip to the supermarket to get a few bits. More often though we meet friends for elevenses or lunch, or go somewhere with my mum. Starbucks really should do a frequent user loyalty scheme!

In the last month we have had trips to Garcons farm and Poleden Lacey with Simon as a family and to friends for a BBQ for the first footie game ( the less said the better!) Ive also managed to go to a couple of evening crops for a couple of hours and to half a Saturday crop. I must try and upload some of my layouts!

Here are some of my favourite pictures of Matthew from the last few weeks!

Matthew's big adventure!

Well the last week has been a real rollercoaster with Matthew.

On Saturday evening he was exceptionally sleepy. I manage to 'enjoy' the Eurovision Song contest with no interruption and had to wake him for a sleep before bedtime. At the time I was just pleased to have a quite evening.

The next morning he was also quite lethargic and then late morning he was exceptionally sick. Matthew is not really a sicky baby. He was not really crying to be fed and only wanted some of his feeds. In the end I rang NHS direct. They were very good and a nurse rang back after just 10 minutes with some advice. However I was still worried and as he is so young I really wanted someone to see him in person so in the end we decided to take him to A&E.

St Helier hospital has a pediatrician A&E section so it wasn't that long before we were seen. Of course they examined him and asked lots of questions. They were not too concerned but wanted to take some blood tests and keep him in for 24 hours to observe him and get the blood test results. I must admit I was quite upset by all this. I was of course very worried, I found them taking the blood tests from his little hand quite traumatic and of course I was quite upset about being kept in hospital knowing that Simon would probably go home and I would be quite isolated.

They took us upstairs to the children's ward where we were given a tiny cubicle with just enough room for the cot and the camp bed. Simon stayed with Matthew whilst I went home to get everything we needed. During that time Matthew was very sick again so I was pleased that we were at the hospital.

We had a lovely nurse called Shelia look after us that night. The ward was not busy so she gave us a lot of attention. She gave us some Diarlyte for Matthew which is water with some nutrients etc so that he didn't get dehydrated but to give him a break from the milk.

In the early morning the doctor came to visit. She was not too worried and was happy that Matthew had had a good night.

To cut a long story short - in the end they were happy for us to come home on the Monday but wanted Matthew to move his bowels and have a couple of formula feeds before we did so. In the end they gave him a suppository which worked within about 30 minutes. We were also given some lactulose to help him go at home. We have had very mixed advise about bowel movements over the last few weeks from doctors/midwives/ health visitors/ hospital and we are now just beginning to realise that there is really no 'normal' baby.

I was delighted to come home Monday afternoon as I felt very cooped up in out little 'cell'. Tuesday was quite difficult as the combination of treatments seemed to have the opposite effect on Matthew!!!! ( not really the place to discuss the full effect of these!). But I'm pleased to report that Matthew is now happy and healthy once more!

Here a couple of photos of Matthew at the hospital. Bless him with his little hand bandaged up from the blood test - they kept the equipment in his hand in case he needed fluids by drip.

One month old!

Matthew is one month old today! Of course I havent updated my blog as often as I would like but im going to try not to stress about not doing it and concentrate on when I can.

The last few days with Matthew have been tough. He is as good as gold when we go out or have visitors and noone believes me when I say he can cry but over the last few days he has been really suffering from wind and some constipation and it is heartbreaking to see him cry as he tries to get things moving. He must be so uncomfortable and not know why. The health visitor has recommended a different formula so hopefully in a few days that will help. Last night was a tough one - he barely slept at all. Thank goodness my husband is happy to look after him too so we both got a few snatches of sleep. Of course Matthew then slept all morning for a trip to Sainsburys and for a little while after.

I took a few photos to celebrate his one month birthday and because he looked so peaceful after such a stressful night.

I havent done as much scrapbooking this week or had time to upload the layouts I have done. But mustnt beat myself up about it. There is no rush!

Since I last posted we have had more visitors: Jane, Lorraine and Jenny, and Meenal. Been to Wimbledon Common with Dai; Met up with the NCT girls and had a trip to Sutton with my mum ( which Matthew slept all the way through!)

Tomorrow we look forward to the NCT girls, babies and husbands coming for lunch. On Wednesday we plan to go out for my Mum's birthday and on Thursday Im going to be leaving Matthew with Simon for about 3 hours whilst I go to school and present the Year 13 Leavers awards.

A busy schedule!

Well I have now written up all of Matthew's first week but what has been happening since then? We have been busy with visitors and outings; and getting used to feeding, and the pram and all the other day to day dealings of a being new mum and a new baby. Matthew is as good as gold when visitors come and hardly anyone has seen him cry - but he can be very unsettled at night and we have had a few nights with very little sleep. Every now and again we get a 'good' night and manage to get a couple more hours. Simon is very good at helping with the feeds and one of us can sleep while the other has Matthew. We are nowhere near any routine with feeding and sleeping but we have to keep reminding ourselves that he is only 19 days old and that he has a lot to learn as well.


So what have we been upto since day 7. On Thursday 29th April Simon went back to work. Fortunately for the first two days he did half days so I was gradually introduced into being number 1 in charge! It was fine and we all managed well.


We have also been busy with visitors and trips:

• 29th April - Dan and Helen bring Eva to visit ( she was born on the same day as Matthew)
• 29th April - Registry office visit
• 30th April - Becky comes to visit
• 1st May - Dave, Isabel, Jacob and Anna visit, trip to the clinic ( Matthew is now back to his birth weight) and we go to my mum's for dinner.
• 2nd May - first trip to the shops - Tandem Way, Colliers Wood- family outing!
• 3rd May - Simon's sister Lyndsey visits - I leave the house alone and go to the supermarket!
• 4th May - Health visitor
• 5th May - Go to my school and see all my friends and collegues- Matthew is very popular and gets loads of cuddles. My mum comes over for the afternoon and we go to Wyevales and have a cup of tea with Simon's mum.
• 6th May - Sandra visits
• 7th May - Paula visits and then in the afternoon Matthew and I go to Great Auntie Linda and Great Uncle Ted to meet new cousin Evie who was born 5 days before Matthew.
• 8th May - again I leave the house without Matthew to go to the opticians
• 9th May - My Dad and his wife Sue come and visit
• 10th May - My close friend Jeremy visits. He shares a birthday with Matthew.


• 11th May - Another trip to Tandem Way with my mum and my first visit to Starbucks since Matthew arrived.
  

As you can see, we like to keep busy and have an equally busy schedule for the new first days.

My photos wont upload at present - so come back later for pictures!

Life with Matthew - Days 5 and 6

Wow - can you believe that Matthew is 2 weeks old today. I dont know where the time goes - he will be 18 years old before I know it! Here is a bit more on our first week together.

Day 5

Simon was still off work on day 5 so we all went out for a walk together. We went and registered Matthew at our GPs surgery and the walked to the local pharmacy. We were out for about an hour and I took this lovely picture of Matthew all snuggled up in his pram. He loved his first outing in his pram and was as good as gold. It took Simon and I a while to remember how all the different bits of the pram worked but with a bit of teamwork we managed to sort it out. A week or so later and I can report we are now much more confident with putting it up and down etc.
Also on Day 5 a health care visitor came to visit us and Matthew had his first bath. At first he wasnt sure but I think in the end he quite liked it. Simon is keen to make this one of his tasks with Matthew.

Day 6

Matthew was 5 days old and this meant a trip to the clinic and for a weigh in and his heal prick test. We were pleased to see the midwife who had booked us in at St Helier hospital when I was just a few weeks pregnant. She was lovely and checked both Matthew and myself thoroughly and answered all our questions and gave us loads of tips. Matthew had lost some of his birth weight ( but this is normal) , but within what is expected. He was as good as gold for the heal prick test - but was hungry after!

This lovely photo of Matthew was also taken on this day.

Life with Matthew - Days 3 and 4

Wow - the time certainly seems to fly by with a little one in our lives. Each day I write a list of jobs to do and I do get some of them done but updating my blog seems to take a back seat.

I really want to go back and record the first week of Matthew's life and any major miles stones - so here goes with days 3 and 4.

Day 3

Day 3 was a big milestone because we came home from the hospital. Although prior to giving birth I was somewhat nervous about the thought of going home and being 100% responsible for my baby, after 2 days in hospital I was keen to get away from the pressures of breast feeding and home where I would be back in 'full control'. It also meant we would start to be a family properly together.


The journey home was exciting. Unfortunately I dont really have any good photos of Matthew in his car seat - but he loved it and soon fell asleep with the movement of the car.




When we got home there were flowers from Sandra and her family and lots of cards to open. The evening flew past as family all came over to visit again.


Day 4

We decided that day 4 was going to be a quiet day at home with no visitors and just the three of us. The midwife came to visit us and check up on us. Again the pressure was still on to breast feed and we did have some success that afternoon with Matthew taking some food this way - but in the evening it became very stressful again. By the end of the evening we had pretty much decided that breast feeding wasnt working for us as a family and that Matthew was doing better with the bottle (although he still sometimes took a long time to have a feed ) and I could monitor how much he was eating. I had my first little cry on this afternoon as Matthew hadnt had any bowel movement for 36 hours and the midwife advised that if nothing happened overnight that we should take him to A&E. I was just so worried that something was wrong but later on that evening there was nappy action - who knew I would be so pleased to change a soiled nappy!!!!!!

Life with Matthew - Day 7

I know I havent yet got round to writing about day 2- 6 but yesterday felt like a real milestone and I want to record it while I remember.

Matthew was a week old yesterday. He spent most of the morning sleeping ( he seems to enjoy his morning down time!) . But during the rest of the day we noticed him doing things he hadnt done before. Yesterday was the first time he was awake and alert for a proper amount of time. Usually he is either feeding or sleeping but yesterday he had long periods of time - half an hour or more when he was just awake. During this time he was looking around and making loads of eye contact and noticing new things!

Also yesterday he was in his bouncer and when Simon moved it from one room to another he grabbed at one of the rings and held on to it! Such a small milestone - but amazing to us.

Matthew was also made official yesterday. We took him to the registry office to record his birth. He also met for the first time little Eva Scarlett. Our good friends Dan and Helen had their little girl on the SAME DAY (!) as Matthew.

Yesterday was an excellent day . Last night wasnt so good - his feed in the middle of the night took 1 hour and 45 minutes so I hope he gives me time for a nap today when Simon gets home from work this morning.

I wonder what Matthew will do today?

Life with Matthew - Days 1-2

I want to be able to remember the first few special days with Matthew. I am sure that we will get many more special moments and days but these ones are very special as we bond as a family and get to the know the new little man in our life.

The Birth and Day 1

My waters broke on Wednesday evening at 10pm. As I was not yet having any contractions I had to go to the hospital to make sure the baby wasnt too distressed and that my blood pressure etc was ok. Everything was fine and we were told to expect labour in the next 24-36 hours. We were also booked in to be induced if nothing had happened by Friday. We went home expecting to have a very boring Thursday at home waiting for something to happen!

At 1am we went to be bed and immediately i started to have back pain. This started to come in in waves up my body and I realised they were early contractions. By 2am I was having uneven contractions every 4-6 minutes. I rang the hospital but they asked me to wait until the contractins were more even. I rang at 4am when contractions were coming very evenly and they agreed I should go in. ( although I think they stil thought it was too early and I was just a first time Mum panicing!!!). When I arrived at the hospital at 4.45am my contractions were every 2 minutes!!!! They had to monitor me for an hour to check I was in labour before checking how much I was dilated - just in case I wasnt in labour and as was now open to infection. At 5.45am they checked and I was 5cm dilated. During this time I started to use the Tens Machine for pain and occasional gas and air.At this point they agreed I was in labour and started to run the bath for me to get in for the last part of my stage 1 labour. The bath was fantastic and I loved the soothing of being in the water. I could also use the gas and air in the water. Things were starting to get very painful and Simon and our wonderful midwife Gerti ( who took over from Kate at about 6ish) were both fantastic with back rubs and encouraging me to take deep breaths of the gas and air. Things moved very swiftly from then on and Simon and I agreed that I would stay in the water to give birth. Matthew arrived in the water at 9.36am. This photo was taken soon after.

The rest of day 1 went pretty quickly and by early afternoon I was down on the labour ward. Simon popped home for a bit and my mum and Simon's family came to visit. Istayed in hospital overnight to try and get help establishing breast feeding.

Day 2

Day 2 was also spent in hospital. Simon came over for most of the day and my mum came for another visit. The time spent with Matthew was so special and it really was time for bonding. But the day was a difficult one due to trying to breast feed and real concerns that he wasnt eating enough. Although the NHS and staff overall for my pregnancy and labour have been amazing - I must say that on this evening there were lots of problems with staff and inconsistency of support. By the evening we decided that Matthew had to have some bottled food or he would loose too much weight. I had very little sleep either night that I was in hospital for a number of reasons .

But as I say - the time with Matthew was still precious and the breast feeding issues will be forgotton. Here are a couple of great photos from Day 2. My mum's hand with Matthew's and proud Mummy and Daddy with our new addition.

Birth Announcement

Just a quick update to say that Matthew Arthur Ellis was born on Thursday 22nd April at 9.36am weighing 8lb3.

We are all doing well and I will post a longer version of events later.

Here are some pics from first 3 days.

Baby Shower layouts

Ive had fun scrapping some of the photos from the Cheam Crop baby shower.

Michellane took this lovely photo of Simon and me. Great to have a photo for the baby album of us together. Ive used Basic Grey Kioshi for this layout. I love the soft colours.

The next layout is of each of the girls with the 'onesie' they hand decorated for me. The papers are October Afternoon - Three Little Ducks - with a selection of other embellishments from different ranges.

And lastly I had fun at making a double layout of all the girls measuring my enormous bump and trying to guess the right length with a piece of string. The new Cosmo Cricket Material Girl range was perfect for this!

Showered with surprises, gifts and love!

I was lucky enough to have two surprise baby showers.

The first was at work. Sarah organised a traditional English Tea for lunch on my last day complete with cream teas, sandwiches and a hot pot of tea. Lots of girls from work came and I was showered with presents as you see from this picture.

Then on the 10th April I went to my last full day Cheam Crop ( for a little while anyway). There Gaye had organised a lovely day for me. She bought lots of little white vests ( onesies) and each member of the crop customised one with their own unique design. What a lovely idea - my baby has designer clothes!

Gaye also organised a predictions book for everyone to guess the date/ name/weight etc and a present for me. Michelanne organised a game for guessing and measuring my bump and Sandra made blue fairy cakes. It was a lovely day and on top of that I won a bet on the Grand National with 'Dont Push It' and won the sweepstake I organised at the crop with the same horse!

Time to blog!

I've been thinking about a blog for a little while. I started one a couple of years ago but didn't get into the routine of updating enough.

I'm a huge scrapbook fan and blogging is quite common amongst scrapbookers to show their work or their favourite new products.

I'm also due to have a baby in one week! I thought that a blog will be a good way of keeping people updated and sharing photos.

I will try and post some photos of my baby showers and some recent layouts.