Look at me bounce!

Josh:  This is me in my new bouncer!  It is pretty cool and I get to see in the lounge or in the kitchen and grandma and grandpa's.  I go round and round, up and down.  I picked up really quickly what I needed to do - easy!  Bouncing is fun.  Hippo blankie likes to keep me company.  But I need another blankie to prop me up a little cos I'm still a bit small...  See me go!

Reasons why Josh is a Star

Cath:  Well I think you all know he is already, but thought I'd just highlight some of the reasons in case there is any doubt.

- He slept for almost 9 continuous hours last night!  I think that is reason enough to make him a big star.  Okay I admit, I got up in the night still to check he was alive, and another time to get some water and swing via the ladies' room, and I was so wide awake at 6am... before Josh!  A whole night's sleep is rather strange and unfamiliar territory.

- He smiles loads.  He smiles when you smile at him, when you poke his nose, pull his ears or make funny noises.  We have been trying to get Josh to go to bed earlier, about 9pm would be ideal (any earlier would be pushing it!).  Our strategy is to give him a bath, lots of bedtime food, then swaddle him tightly.  Sometimes this makes him sleepy, but other times he just lies there staring at us, his forehead all wrinkled, his eyes open so wide.  And he smiles!  So we say, "not time for smiles now, Joshy, sleepy time", but he keeps on smiling, so irresistibly.  He is actually pretty good, because if he has had enough to eat he will just lie there until he eventually goes to sleep.  Sometimes even so quietly that we go in to check on him, thinking he is asleep, but his eyes are still wide open.

- He likes his new cot.  We have heard of people who have had issues moving their babies to new rooms and new beds, but Josh loves his.  When he manages to break out of his swaddle, he lies with his arms stretched out to the sides - no longer above his head but with all this space, why not to the sides?  And we have even found him lying diagonally.... who knows....

- His first word is "Ugoo".  Now we have always known him to be a clever boy, and we think this word is rather appropriate - "Igloo" in the snow?  Or yes I "agree"?  It has multiple purposes it seems.  In fact, it can be used any time, anywhere, or in the French variation "u-ggggooo" you need to gurgle the g's.

I could go on and on just watching him all day and telling you about it, but I think you can see why we think our little man is pretty cool.  A little shining star in our lives.

Playgym fun

Cath:  Josh has learnt to keep himself entertained on the playgym :)

And full of smiles today!

My new bed

Josh:  It was all very exciting because daddy got to stay home yesterday and today due to snow, which gave him chance to finish off my new bed!  I have almost completely outgrown my moses basket so daddy got it finished just in time.  Well it is almost finished really - he is just busy engraving a big Winnie the Pooh and Piglet picture onto one of the ends right now.  He has also added "Veritas Vincit" above the picture, which is the Keith clan motto, meaning "Truth Conquers", so I can remember my Scottish heritage and especially its great and special meaning.  And daddy is going to find some baby-safe gloss to preserve the wood and make it look nice.

It is a cot-bed meaning it can convert into a bigger bed, so will last a long time. Well untill I get a little brother or sister to boot me out.  Right now I look so tiny in it!  But mommy and daddy and put me right down at the bottom so that my feet touch the end to keep me safe and cosy.  I had a good night's sleep in it last night!  Just woke up as usual when I was hungry.  Daddy did a great job.  But now mommy is wondering how she is going to cope when I leave home one day when I am big, after feeling this emotional about me moving 8 metres into my own room across the hallway!!  Oh dear.

Here is a pic of me with the new engravings:

 And this is me in the cot before the engraving:

And this is me striking a cute pose for you:

Adventures in the Snow!

Cath:  As are many others in the UK, we are having some fun in the snow this weekend!  There has been more than I have ever experienced in Scotland.  It probably helps being out of town - think we've had more here in Bathgate than in Edinburgh.

The snow started on Saturday, when we woke up to beautiful white scenes outside.  Well, that was actually around 4am when Dave got up to feed Josh.  We were all excitedly gazing out the window!  We stayed inside in the flat, cosy and warm until Sunday morning when we attempted to go to church.  We wrapped up warm and got as far as downstairs and outside, when we passed a man who was just coming in and said not to bother, "the M8 is just the same".  So we hummed and hah'd but took this as a sign and turned around and went back inside. 

A few hours later, we decided to head out for lunch (bacon rolls and hot chocolate) at a local coffee shop.  We had to experience the snow after all, and test the capabilities of our buggy!  Even though it is great off-road, we didn't realise it would be so tricky navigating a buggy in the snow hmm..... Should have taken the sling....  But Josh was nice and cosy in there anyway.  Dave pushed most of the time, but I had a go... for a few minutes here and there... :) 

On the way back we built Sam Bob the snowman!  He is sitting outside our flat.  Dave took great care, packing the snow firmly for his body by rolling it up in a big ball.  Josh loved it, of course. 

In the evening we attempted to go to church again.  This time to our very small local church and in the car.  But we arrived to find a snow-filled carpark and the church closed.

This morning we debated whether or not Dave should go to work.  We stood and watched people trying and failing to get out our carpark.  A big tractor came along (we think someone who lived in one of the flats owned it) and swept away some of the snow.  Some people managed to dig themselves out.  So Dave decided to give it a go.  I watched as he dug the car out with a mop - we don't own a shovel!  He managed to get as far as the M8, but it was dead quiet.  Closed in the other direction, but virtually no cars going Dave's way.  The weirdest thing was seeing jack-knifed lorries stuck on the other side of the road, their wheels spinning trying to get moving again.  Dave eventually got hold of his boss who said not to come in.  Apparently there was 18 inches of snow on site.  Dave may be able to get down there, but probably wouldn't be able to get out again.  So he is now home and working on Josh's cot again :)  Snow day! Yay!

Here is a pic of us with Sam Bob:

View from our flat:

Cutie

Cath:  Josh has been very happy playing under his playgym these days.  He is much happier lying there than in his cot - much more interesting having something to look at.  Here is a little video of him kicking about:

He also has discovered his hands!  Yum yum:

Sporting his rather cute giraffe top and extremely cool sheep slippers:

Just wanted to share the cute-ness :)

Mini-us.

Cath:  There is no doubt about it: Josh is Dave's mini-me.  He is the splitting image of his daddy.  As one of our friends put it, Dave in a sleepsuit.  But we were interested to notice that Josh,  is not the splitting image of Dave as a baby, so we asked my mom to send us some pics of me.  And what do you know.  Now many of my pics don't look like Josh, but this one could just as well be him!  Dave said, "Cath looks like a boy!"  Hah!  But you can see our point here....  Our conclusion is, Josh is a grand mixture of both of us.  Pretty cool we think.

Worship Central

Cath: Worship Central, a big gathering of mainly church musos, hosted by Tim Hughes, Al Gordon, Ben Cantelon and Nikki Fletcher, for a full day's worth of workshops and worship through sound, was being hosted by our church - bound to be a great day. And Josh didn't want to miss it either!  So we bought him some noise-cancelling headphones, the kiddy version, and they worked like a treat.  Josh slept right through the morning and evening sessions, despite the loudness of it all.  And he was the coolest kid on the block.

My shoes

Josh:  It has been really really cold, wet and windy here in Scotland.  So mommy went shoe shopping for me and found me a pair of trainers to help keep my feet warm and dry and to make sure my socks don't fall off.  I was very considerate and stacked them neatly with daddy and mommy's....

Furry Friends

Josh: I was hanging out with my furry friends who live on mommy and daddy's bed when mommy took this spontaneous pic and thought it was kinda cute.  Then mommy thought it would be a good idea to take a pic of me in my bear suit with a whole lot of my other furry friends from my bedroom... Can you spot me? (I am trying to disguise myself with the serious face)

My first wedding

Josh:  Mommy and daddy's friends, Beth and Barnes, got married in Carlisle this weekend.  We had such a fun time.  I got to dress up all smart.  The service was in a very pretty church in Dearham, Maryport.  We then went along to this lovely old building with big beams, the Tithe Barn, in Carlisle where we had a yummy dinner and ceilidh.  I really enjoyed the service, especially the music.  Daddy looked after me, since I was awake, but I didn't cry at all.  I got hungry after the service, but ate in time so that mommy and daddy could enjoy their dinner.  Then I wanted my pudding just after mommy and daddy had theirs, but I had been sleeping and went back to sleep again after that so that they could enjoy the ceilidh together.  We were very kindly offered accommodation by some family friends of Barnes's which worked out so well - thanks guys!

My first playdate and a visit to the hospital

Josh: This is a picture of me with my new friend Finn.  Finn came around to play with his mom, Kirsty, this week.  We ended up sleeping much of the time, but we also got to cry together and have a nice little photoshoot on my playmat.  Finn was due a week after me, but now we are 7 weeks apart.  We are almost the same size though!  I think we are going to be good mates.  Our moms enjoyed a chance to catchup and have lunch too! 

I also had to go back to the Royal Infirmary for my 6-week-since-left-hospital check.  Can't believe it has been 6 weeks already!  Well in some ways it feels like I have been home for ages.  The doctor said all my neonatal instincts had gone away which was good.  Weight wise, I am now 9lb8oz! For my adjusted age, I am on the 75th percentile, height wise I am on the 91st percentile, and my head circumference is on the 99.6th percentile, so I am quite big. The nurse said my body has a little catching up to do.... But I don't think I am looking out of proportion!  I am also strong.  The nurse put me on my tummy and I managed to lift my head up quite a lot, even pushing up on my hands!  She was impressed.  I also got to go and visit some of my midwife friends at the neonatal while we were there, and also little Sofie who was born 16 weeks early and has been there for over 100 days!  She is doing really well and will hopefully be home soon.

Mommy and daddy are enjoying me being more alert these days. There is so much to see!  I like lights.  I like wriggling.  I also like cuddles, so mommy puts me in the sling which I like because I can be close to her.  I am getting good at sleeping at night though.  I know what nights are now.  Awake during day, sleep at night.  Well that's what I do most of the time.  I do still like to eat during the night.  Actually, I like to eat all the time.  Well we're off out in the buggy now, but watch this space for more adventures.

Smile...?

Josh: Does this count? I have not been finding mommy or daddy's tickling very amusing... but I was definitely exercising my facial muscles this weekend, tickles or no tickles. Perhaps it was all the new family members I got to meet in Manchester?  So many lovely faces to stare at! Worth smiling about I thought. Anyway, mommy managed to capture some of the moments on camera. Can you see it coming?

My birth story - Cath's version

Cath: Ok, for those of you who want to know all the gory details and who aren't too squeamish... Here it is for the record!  I'll put the pics in first in case you don't want to read through it all:

Rather unflattering pic of me with my funky pink plastic mug for water and trusty gas and air (before contractions got too intense...):

One of Josh's first pics:

In the early hours of Sunday, 8^th August, I woke up feeling uncomfortable in bed.  I got up for my usual nightly loo stop, then back to bed.  But I struggled to get comfy again.  Around 7am I felt what I knew was blood so got up and went to the bathroom again to check.  Dave knew because I was there quite a while.  But we though, just that silly polyp again, so took our time to pack our things for the hospital… fortunately we had just been shopping the day before for baby essentials so we had all the ingredients for a labour hospital bag.  Just in case of course!  

We packed and Dave made us rolls for lunch.  Then we phoned the Royal Infirmary triage unit who said we should definitely come in.  We were seen pretty quickly and the initial swab showed the polyp again.  I had had some blood taken and had been waiting a couple hours to be seen again, when I got up to go to the loo and then felt a rush of blood, like getting a heavy period… that was quite scary!  There was a whole lot of blood coming out in clots!  A nurse was just coming into the room at the time though and she rushed out to get a doctor.  There was then a bit of a flurry of nurses and a doctor trying to find a vein big enough for a needle to leave in my arm in case a drip was needed, so I ended up with a number of pin pricks all over my arms (which later made me all bruised) – not fun!  

The doctor did a second swab and concluded once again that this was the polyp, but they decided to admit me to the labour ward for observations and further checks, since I had been having stomach cramps (what were really contractions but I did not realise this at the time!).  My stomach was feeling uncomfortable at this point but wasn’t too bad. 

Bleeding was on and off that day.  I was seen by another more senior doctor who reckoned the polyp wasn’t the cause, leaving us more confused… They brought in a portable scanner to check my placenta again, which appeared to be ok although near the opening of my cervix – could it be coming away?  In case I was going into labour, they arranged for me to have the 1^st of 2 steroid injections which are recommended if you baby is less than 34 weeks to help boost their lungs.  The 2^nd one would be required 12 hours later.

Dave went home around 9pm and I stayed in the labour ward.  The bleeding seemed to die down, but that night I woke around 1am with discomfort, so got up and went to the loo.  The again a couple more times over the next few hours, until I eventually decided to tell a nurse who gave me painkillers.  But then I suddenly had more bleeding!  The contractions seemed to get worse that morning.  I was back on the monitors and rang Dave around 10am to come in – shame, he hadn’t been at work very long!  The doctor had seen me again and said I was 2cm dilated!!  The contractions continued to get worse, but by 2pm they had died down again and I hadn’t bled for a while.  I had the 2^nd steroid injection.  Around this time the doctor came in intending to break my waters!  But when she realised the bleeding the contractions had died down, and baby was happy, they decided to wait…  In case baby arrived early it was arranged for us to go on a tour of the neonatal unit led by a paediatrician, which was very helpful.  Dave pushed me along in wheelchair!

Dave and I were both very tired.  We even managed to drift off to sleep (Dave in his comfy recliner seat!) and we were thinking we’d probably be home the next day - home without baby was feeling like a bit of a disappointment!  We had fun just chilling and played monopoly deal while the contractions subsided.  Dave went home that night and I said I’d let him know if any changes in the night...;

The contractions started again about 3am.  I was being woken by them every 10 minutes.  I texted Dave to let him know at 4am.  And then I had a whole lot more bleeding!  Texted Dave again.  Should he come in?  No, best wait a little longer… 5am… Ok, probably best come in!  After that I was just bleeding and contracting for the next few hours.  Not much change in intensity or frequency and that felt manageable.  Next checks I was 3cm dilated.  They were keen to break my waters due to concerns about blood loss and the safety of both me and baby.  And they did, with a long, plastic stick with a little hook on the end.  Wasn’t sore.  Membranes were clear which was good. 

They left me for a few hours to contract on my own, but not much change, so they decided to start the hormone drip.  I was told that the drip could take 30 minutes to 4 hours to work… 20 minutes later, the contractions started coming hard and fast!  Now I think it was a combination of the gas and air and the way I handled the pain, but I kicked into basic mode… focus on breathing!  The next stage when on for 4 hours, apparently, although felt like a blur to me.  I had my eyes shut and didn’t talk, motioning to Dave when I needed more gas and air.  The midwives and Dave helped me to move into all sorts of positions – kneeling on bed, standing up, on my side, leaning over back of bed (but I struggled to hold myself up).  Actually, lying on my back turned out to be the most comfortable, which was strange because earlier it was the one position I did not want to be in!  I just felt drained of energy now.  Dave was amazing.  He rubbed my back consistently and kept reminding me to breathe.  I tried not to, but ended up having diamorphine quite late on.  When I was 7cm dilated, I remember being rather horrified when the midwife indicated I may still have 3 hours to go to get to 10cm!!  And I felt like I needed the loo all the time – I needed to push.  But soon they could see the  baby!  Not sure I ever made it to 10cm…  The tearing feeling was rather scary.  I heard someone saying baby’s heartbeat was decreasing so I was determined to push with all I had.  They took my gas and air away now because they wanted me to breathe in and push, rather than breathe out again.  They even said they may need to cut me if I didn’t push!  So I pushed harder, I was so worried he was going to get stuck!! 
 Apparently this stage for a 1^st baby usually lasts about an hour, but our lovely son popped out in 10 minutes.  I gave birth lying half on my side, half on back with my eyes closed.  I saw him looking all healthy and pink, but they said he wasn’t breathing.  The paediatricians were there and whisked him off to be re-sussed (they had expected to have to re-sus so had the station all ready.  It’s a boy!  They said.  Joshua James!  I said.  Dave and I had agreed on this name for a boy already.  We shared a few happy tears… And So Joshua James Dickson came into the world at 3:15pm weighing in at a healthy 2.32kgs (5lb2oz) on 10^th August 2010. Is he breathing??  I asked rather desperately, but he was soon back in with us with a tube helping him to breathe and a cute little hat on to keep him cosy.  Apparently he was just a little sleepy from the drugs and soon wanted the tube out so that he could breathe on his own.  

The placenta came out with another little push (felt like I could do anything now!).  There were many clots behind the placenta so they are pretty sure that was where the bleeding had been coming from now.  I didn’t see it, but Dave did.  I needed two stitches on my labia, a local anaesthetic, which I handled no probs while Skyping mom!  Apparently Josh’s hand had come out next to his face which caused tear.  He was so beautiful and precious!

Josh was in the neonatal unit for 3.5 weeks before he could come home.  He had to acquire sucking skills so that he could breastfeed, but was fed through a nose tube in the meantime, largely milk which I had expressed.  We had really great treatment both in the labour and neonatal units and are hugely grateful to all who helped us get Josh home finally, on Saturday, 4^th September.

Bath times are fun!

Josh: I am finally starting to like my baths. In fact I almost fell asleep in the last bath, the water was that warm and Johnson's smelt so good. Grandma and Grandpa brought me a seat that I can lie on so that Mommy can hold me more easily. But I wiggle so much and the soap makes me slippery, so Mommy enlists the help of Daddy or Granzi when she was visiting for the time being. The hard part is getting out. Mommy tries to make it easier by wrapping me in a towel with a little hood. She thinks my hair smells so fresh when it is all clean and it kind-of stands up, all soft! Yes, bath times are nice.

Happy Feet!

Cath: Josh was wearing his little robot suit yesterday with Auntie Pam's booties, but it got a little warm so I took his booties off which gave me opportunity during a feed to admire his cute little feet.  Such an amazing little creation!

Early Beginnings.

Hello world, this is Joshua James Dickson. I arrived on 10th August 2010, 6 weeks and 2 days before my mommy and daddy were expecting me. I weighed just 5lb2oz (2320grams) but I'm a whole lot bigger now and ready to keep you updated on my adventures with the help of mommy. Watch this space!