Another 45g

Another very acceptable weight gain this morning. Amelia will have a blood gas this afternoon which should tell us how successful the transfusion was in increasing her haemoglobin levels as well as checking her Sodium levels.

My Baby

I couldn't keep my hands off little Amelia yesterday. She's getting much more chunky now and it's hard to resist the tempatation to paw at her. Here's a picture of me tormenting the poor little mite plus a more restful image just to prove she can get to sleep after a tickling encounter with her father.

Amelia & Olly 28/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 28/9/04 Click to enlarge

Pink Porker

Popped in with Anna this morning to see Amelia and it's astonishing how much she's grown. She's also a very different colour than before she had the transfusion.

She's still in the 'Hot Cot' but her temperature was bang on at 36.6 so she'll probably be out of it today. Anna's got the camera so we should have some piccies to upload this evening.

My Longest Day - Anna

At long last Anna recalls the events of August 6th.

"When I came to in the labour ward there was Olly by my side with a Polaroid of Amy taken an hour after her birth. I don’t think I have ever held anything so tightly in all my life. "

For the rest Click Here

Passing Ships

It seems odd but it's now more than before that Anna and I are feeling the strain of parenthood but I think it's very normal somehow. What I mean is that Anna is spending a great deal of time looking after Amelia and as a result we're not getting a lot of time together as we used to. I think it's because Amy is acting more like a normal baby now and as a result we're acting more like normal parents and that means less sleep and time to doss around right?

This morning as Anna was getting up she reached across and asked me when I'd had my hair cut. It was 11 days ago.
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge

Back On Track

I'm learning to really love the fighting spirit of my little daughter. At today's weigh-in she's gained a whopping 65g, her biggest yet taking her to 3lb 11oz in 'old money'. Having decorated the cot with yesterday's 5PM feed she hasn't been sick since so we're not panicking about stomach problems now.

Yesterday's transfusion seems to have been successful and Anna says Amelia looks a good deal pinker now. She was however moved into a 'Hot Cot' temporarily as her temperature dropped to 35 degrees yesterday (should be 36.6). It's back up now apparently but they have to be gradually weaned off it so she'll probably be back in her main pod today or tomorrow.

I really do punch the air when she comes through like this because I can't imagine how difficult it is to be fighting to be well all the time. She still fights harder than she should have to breathe, she has to fight to stay warm and evidently her anaemia has meant that merely staying alive is exhausting.

Low Haemoglobin

Yesterday was not a tremendous day all in all and when Anna finally got home at around 8:00PM she was completely exhausted. Amy had vomited almost her entire 5PM feed which meant having just done her cares Anna had to completely change her again. Additionally we learned yesterday that Amelia's haemoglobin is quote low and to remedy this she needed a small blood transfusion last night.

The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body using a particular protein called haemoglobin. Anaemia means that either the level of red blood cells or the level of haemoglobin is lower than normal. This means the red blood cells have to work harder to get oxygen around the body. This condition is actually very common in women and babies, especially premature ones.

This is all treated as very routine and in fact preemies can have several transfusions during the time of their care we're told. Anna will be calling in later this morning with the results of that and today's weigh-in.

Sponge! Sponge!

Cake that is. Once again Amy's Angels were heartily thankful for the Banana & Chocolate Chip Cake, Chocolate Brownies and Dolly Mixture Fairy Cakes that arrived on Sunday courtesy of Mum & Lu. As reward for your kitchen endeavours here are some wonderful moving pictures.

Nappy Change
Face Wash

(Both are 476k - around 15 seconds to download with a 500kb/sec Broadband link)

4-Hourly Feeds!

Well we're all grown up now eh? Amelia is trying 4-hourly feeds today for the first time so she'll get her goodies at 9, 1 and 5 o'clock from now on. She'll still be getting Gaviscon with each feed but it looks like she may come off the Caffeine this week too.

Caffeine is used to stimulate the part of the brain that reminds her to breathe. In premature-born babies, the central nervous system is still developing, and frequently they 'forget' to breath. This is known as an apnoea and starves the blood of oxygen which can lead to death or serious disability. When she comes off the Caffeine it'll be one more artificial thing she can live without which is great news all round.

Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge

Small Weight Gain

Yesterday was really great because I got to see Amelia 3 times and had a good chance to hold and cuddle her. Normally I see her early morning and she's a bit sluggish (wonder where she gets that from) but yesterday she was more animated than I've seen her before, like a different child. It was also the first time she looked just like a normal baby. She's even making all the right gurgling sounds too.

One slightly odd thing though was at the weigh-in where she had only gained 5g. I was told not to worry as for the previous two she had gained over 100g and we need to look at the trend over a week really. It's also entrely possible that being in an open cot means that she has to expend more energy regulating her temperature. We'll wait with anticipation for tomorrow's results.

Anyway here's the proud mum sneaking a quick cuddle plus a couple of choice shots.
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 26/9/04 Click to enlarge

Keep On Growing

This morning's weigh-in saw an increase of 55g for the little lady which takes her to an amazing 3lb 8oz. She is now basically back off the low-flow Oxygen and is just getting a waft of O2 after feeding when her tummy is doing somersaults. No sick-ups yet today though I'm told which is an improvement too. After the blood gas this week Amelia was also taken off the Sodium supplement which you may remember was added to help her weight gain. Another test today will tell us whether she's coping without it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures this week we've had some problems sorting out who had the camera and Anna and I have been ships that pass in the night (usually on the stairs on the way to the bathroom) for the past few days. I'll be finishing up Part 2 of the My Longest Day post this weekend and this covers the 24 hours after Amy was born.

In the meantime it's a good time to point out that Anna and I are particularly thankful at the moment. Today Amelia is 7 weeks old and looking as well as we could possibly have hoped for when she unexpectedly made her appearance. On Sunday 26th Anna and I will have been married for one whole year and even with the odd ripple recently it's still finishing up as the happiest of my life so far. I have two young ladies to thank mainly for that plus a whole team of rather special people who came to our aid when we most needed it. Thanks again to all of them and you for so much help and support.

Back In The USS-Air

Sorry I couldn't resist & I've been listening to the Beatles this week. Amelia is back on the 'low-flow' tubes this morning but this isn't surprising apparently. She'd done very well without for a day or so but the tubes are now back on so she can get the O2 if and when she needs it. It's not actually on all the time I understand but it also makes it easier if she does need a belt.

Amy Tubeless

Well astonishingly Amelia has been without her Oxygen prongs for over 24 hours now and is doing fine. Apparently she did need some O2 wafting under her nose after feeds during the night but other than that she's breathing the same air as us.

Amelia 22/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 22/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia 22/9/04 Click to enlarge

Oxygen Is Removed!

I couldn't think of a cute strap-line for this one but what the hell. Yesterday afternoon they decided to try removing Amelia's Oxygen prongs to see how she'd cope. We weren't expecting anything to be honest but this morning they were still out and she's been doing fine. This is really fantastic news because it means that she's gone a long way to sorting out her lung problems and can now concentrate all her energies on growing. Anna will get the first picture of Amy without her face gear today and I'll post it this evening.

Lardy-Pants

60g at today's weigh-in. Wahay!

Shape Of Things To Come

Over the last couple of days Amelia has been closely scrutinized regarding her posture and position. Yesterday the physiotherapist spent a good 15 minutes with Anna talking about how her lying positions can affect the still-developing shape of her bones and skull. Basically she seems to have extremely good control of her limbs and is doing all the normal stuff - hands to face etc - very well. I'll post some stuff in Amy's Classroom when I get a sec.

Think Out Of The Box

So how did today's revelation come about? Well according to Anna, when she arrived this morning Amelia's blanket was pulled back as she'd been getting too hot. In fact for some days the temperature in the incubator had been on it's lowest setting. At morning cares Anna had removed Amy's nappy which suspiciously contained no solids. Unfortunately while it was being disposed of Amy managed to project the rest of her payload directly onto the bottom end of the incubator with some style. Given that this results in a major clean-up/disinfect job the point was raised about whether she needed to go back in after it was cleaned. After some discussion Amy was given the all-clear to leave what has been her whole world since she was born 6 weeks ago.

The normal target for preemies to come out of their incubator is around 1560g but Amy has been doing so well she was granted early parole and allowed to join us in the outside world. I was a little surprised at how excited Anna was when I arrived at the hospital but when I first saw Amy in the open cot it struck me for the first time how difficult it has been over the last 6 weeks with a box between me and my daughter. Anna put it well when she said that it's like Amy is part of the real world now, she's actually living in the same space as us, breathing the same air and smelling the same smells (usually hers!) Although we're naturally a little nervous about her being 'out and about' it's an unexpected step forward. Not unexpected that she would come out of the incubator as we knew this would happen relatively soon but unexpected that it would make such a psychological difference to myself and especially Anna. She's the one that has had to take Amelia out of the incubator for cares and then have to put her back in afterwards. I can understand how being able to just lay her down in a cot unimpeded now means a great deal. It's one step closer to our modest dream of putting her down to sleep in the nursery here at home.

First Family Photo Exclusive!

Shot straight to the hospital after work today to meet an extremely excited Anna, bubbling with the revelation that our little of bundle of joy no longer needs to live in a plastic box. Louise was kind enough to do the honours to provide us with our very first family photograph. Not quite what we had planned a few months ago but it'll do just fine and the picture of Amelia is the first I took of her in her open cot outside the incubator. She is sporting a wonderful hand-knitted cardigan courtesy of my old roomie Mike Trodd's mum. Thanks Jan, it's the only one we have which fits her at the moment!

A family first 20/9/04 Click to enlarge
Amelia in the open 20/9/04 Click to enlarge

++ STOP PRESS ++ Amy In Open Cot

Just had word from Anna via a third party that Amelia has been moved out of her incubator into an open cot. We had known that 1500g was the minimum weight they would do this but we're a bit surprised that it's happened straight away. More details later/tomorrow.

Grandparent's Return

Back from holiday on Friday Ffelsh & Grouse shot straight down for a visit yesterday.

Ffelsh & Grouse 19/9/04 Click to enlarge

Breast-feeding? Surely not!

Anna just called in with Amelia's weight today which is up 35g to the magical 1500g figure (about 3lb 4.5oz in real money). The doctors gave her a bit of a prod & poke and concluded that all was well with her too. She's due a blood test to check her Sodium levels but this may come tomorrow now.

Astonishingly though, Anna was 'practising' beastfeeding again this morning (this is where Amelia is held to the breast while the milk is being dripped into her tube to get her acquainted that the two things are linked) and blow me if the little tyke didn't have a good old suck and sneak a couple of millilitres. This wouldn't be so amazing if we hadn't been told that until 35 or 36 weeks babies don't have the strength or stamina to breastfeed. Greedy bugger!

Motion Detected

Amelia seems now to be much more animated when she's being tended to. In all respects she's now beginning to look and act much more like a baby if that makes sense. We're seeing a great deal more arm-waving and leg-kicking in conjunction with various levels of grizzling when she gets her face wiped. After watching her lie motionless for long periods of time over the past few weeks it's very therapeutic to watch her wriggling around.
I did however provoke a slightly more urgent response today when I removed a piece of tape from her stomach. It was one of the pieces that keeps her Apnea monitor on and a fair amount was peeling away. It looked ready to come off to me so I gave it a good yank. Unfortunately that last couple of millimetres was evindently stuck down with something developed for the Space Shuttle programme as to my (and Amelia's) surprise it gave a great deal of resistence. This lead to a sudden electric jerk from Amy followed by that 2 or 3 seconds of 'will she or won't she yell the place down' anticipation. Her face crumpled briefly but she bravely took the pain and I've learned to be more careful next time. Sorry chuck.

Amy 160904 Click to enlarge

Nose Job

Apparently Amelia decided to remove her nose tube last night which swiftly resulted in her being sick over poor Louise. What a gem!

All quiet on the Western Front today according to Anna. We're off to see Jimmy Carr this evening which should be good and I daresay we'll pop in later on to see how she's doing before we go home.

More pics tomorrow - promise.

6 Weeks & Counting

Unbelievable eh? Here we are again talking about another week passing in Amelia's life. I can't quite believe how quickly the time is whizzing past now given the torture of the first few agonising hours and days. The thought that we could be halfway there and that she might come home soon is incredible.

It may seem odd to some people given the trauma and turmoil we've had over the past six weeks but at this stage it is quite easy to be blase about the situation. After all Amy is busy sleeping and growing without any ill-effects and all medical reports are that she's doing spectacularly well. Perhaps it's the pessimist in me then that it always still waiting for a fall of some kind. Perhaps it's just that we were warned what a long journey this is for all concerned and that there could always be some bad news just around the corner. Isn't that true for all parents of new children though? Perhaps I should take heart in the fact that Amelia has fought harder than I could have possibly hoped for to get this far after such a shocking start to life and that she has a will and determination to get the rest of the way.

51 days and boy am I counting.

Bits & Pieces

Amelia has gained 30g since Tuesday which is still fine apparently. All seems spectacularly dull down there today for Anna which is marvellous. She popped up to see the midwives for a check-up and discovered that the sharp pain she's been getting in her side is probably her ovaries switching back on again! I feel a headache coming on.

Amy 120904 Click to enlarge
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge

The Blue Tentacles Are Outstretched

I couldn't help it. Amy sent me a message telepathically which I could only translate as 'Come on you Blues'. What could I do? If she happens to choose the same team as Anna & me then so be it.
Amy is a Blue Click to enlarge
Amy is a Blue Click to enlarge
Amy is a Blue Click to enlarge

Toilet Matters

I'm sorry to bring this up but what Amy had left in her nappy this morning couldn't possibly be the product of her digestive system alone. I swear other people are shipping it in!

Seriously though she was absolutely perfect this morning, even with her clumsy old dad man-handling her around the incubator. We're going to try her on 3-hourly feeds today so fingers crossed!

Amy 120904 Click to enlarge
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge

3LB On The Board!!!!

At this morning's weigh-in Amelia was 1385g which is up 55g from Sunday and takes her to just over 3lb, a mini-milestone.

This is fantastic news for various reasons, not least that it shows the Sodium and other feed supplements are having an effect and she's right on track as far as weight gain is concerned. Also this morning while Anna was there she experienced no Bradycardia whatsoever which really is a first. Usually about 20mins after a feed she was having at least one self-limiting Brady (no intervention required) but nothing at all today. It's a double-whammy of good news!

Movie Magic

Amelia was fine for the rest of the afternoon today and Anna managed a quick cuddle after 4PM cares. Here's some footage.

Amy not doing much
Amy ponders the meaning of life
Amy during cares

(All are 476k - around 15 seconds to download with a 500kb/sec Broadband link)

More Esteemed Guests

Anna's uncle Nick and his wife Marianne made the trek from St Albans yesterday which was really nice. Great to see you folks, hope Amelia was worth the trip. Next time we'll bring her to see your new house eh?

Nick & Marianne with Amy Click to enlarge
Marianne with Amy Click to enlarge

Nothing To See Here

Well I'm proud to say that things in the Neonatal unit are particularly dull at the moment. On Sunday morning during the doctor's round our little bundle of joy was deliberately ignored despite much cajoling from myself. Joking aside it really is great that Amelia seems to be doing so well that they've even given up prodding and poking her now. She put on another 50g at yesterday's weigh-in and she seems to be filling out nicely. The Gaviscon in her feed has led to less reflux and Bradycardias which is great news.
Here's some long-awaited recent pics.
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge
Amy 120904 Click to enlarge

The Eyes Have It

I know it's a corny strapline but heck it's 7 in the morning! I'm doing a quick post before I display disgraceful parenting disregard and scoot off up to Manchester for the football. The withdrawal symptons are getting too much now.

Anyway a great piece of news was slipped into the conversation yesterday in that Amelia had been given her first eye test and it came back OK. Those who have read this log from the start will remember that eyesight and hearing were two of the potential long-term problems Amy could have from being so premature. Although there are still possibilities of course the first test for her eyes didn't seem to show any abnormalities and this of course came as a huge relief to Anna and me. I'll post some technical medical stuff about it later.

Anna Wins

Well she was trailing for a few days but came good at the last. You all voted Anna as the most resembled by Amelia whis good news for Amelia I guess. Another thrilling reader's poll will follow next week. Can you curb your excitement?

Gutso Piles On More!

This morning's weigh-in showed Amelia up another 45g to 1280g (around 2lb 13oz). This is good..very good.

Gaviscon To The Rescue

It's not unusual for the Wilson-Barnes family to encounter digestion difficulties. It's kind of a trademark if you like. For the past few days Amelia has been suffering from Gastroesophageal Reflux (also called GER or reflux) to some degree which manifests itself as vomiting after feeds. Refluxing occurs when the stomach acid and partially digested food flow back up through the Lower Aesophageal Sphincter or LES into the aesophagus. All children and adults will naturally reflux throughout the day, especially after eating. However, if the muscle opens too frequently and refluxing occurs too often, complications can develop.

Premature infants have an increased risk of developing GER. There are several medical conditions that can cause reflux, but in preterm infants, the most common causes are immature muscles and abnormal breathing from chronic lung disease. If the lower aesophageal sphincter is weak or underdeveloped, it can remain open when it should be closed, letting the stomach contents flow back up the esophagus. When an infant or child breathes abnormally because of chronic lung disease, the muscles used for breathing work harder. As these muscles work hard to breathe, they can pull on the muscles near the top of the stomach, stretching the sphincter and causing it to remain open.

Over the years various remedies have been employed in our household but when Gaviscon became available without a prescription, the world changed for us. It was with great hilarity therefore that we learned this wonderful substance was to be added to Amelia's feeds to combat her reflux problems. At the moment this does seem to have helped somewhat but we'll have to see how she copes over the next couple of days.

5 Weeks Old

It's amazing to think that 5 whole weeks have passed since Amelia was born but here we are. On Saturday she'll be the equivalent of 32 weeks gestation and there's a small chance that Anna will be able to try breast-feeding soon. What a landmark that'll be!

Here's a snap Anna took earlier today, sorry it's the first one for a while.
AWB 09/09/04 - Click To Enlarge

Last Chance To Vote

Tomorrow is the last day for this week's visitor vote Who does Amy Resemble The Most?. Anna is trailing with only 17% of the vote so far so if you think Amelia has the lovely looks of her mother get clicking. I'm in the lead of course so if you're of the opinion that our wunderkind has the god-like gorgeousness of her father, join the masses and vote with your finger (on your mouse of course).

Back On 2-Hourly Feeds

Well it was all going a bit too swimmingly wasn't it? No need to panic but Amy's back on the 2-hourly feeds now. It seems she wasn't fully coping with the 28ml every 3 hours so they'll just knock it back a bit. Nobody seems to be too concerned as every baby is different and it just means we'll have to wait awhile before trying her on 3-hour feeds again. Ultimately we want to get to 4-hour feeds of course but we're not in any hurry.

The dreaded cold seems to be conspicuous by its absence at the moment being no more than a heavy snuffle for now. Let's keep it that way Amelia. As I write the doctors haven't done their rounds yet; it looks like things are about to get busy in the unit as there are 14 babies in currently with another 14 upstairs in the labour ward waiting to make an appearance.

Anna's On The Road Again

We went to see the our friendly GP yesterday who cleared Anna to start driving again. This means that she'll be able to take herself in and out of the hospital when she wants as opposed to having to stay there all day. It also means that yours truly won't be in every morning as I have been up until now. I'll have to rely on Anna letting me know after the doctor's round for any news but we'll keep on top of it. I guess the bulkier updates will be done in the evening from now on.

My Longest Day (Part 1)

This post is one of the real reasons the whole site is here. As I was travelling back home from the hospital on the night of August 6th I realised that there was too much going on inside my head to stay there if that makes any sense. I've never kept a diary but there have been times in my life when I wished I had. I've learned that you block out the bad stuff once it passes but I didn't want everything I was feeling to just disappear - so here it is.

I've realised there is very little in life that can prepare you for the possibility of losing your wife and your unborn child on the same day. How can there be? Perhaps there are people who could tell me that this wasn't actually a possibility that day but to be honest I daren't ask because I've a feeling I know the answer. What is true is that at 4:45PM on Friday August 6th as a dozen people I didn't know took Anna away to an operating theatre, it seemed very possible to me.

Click here for the rest of My Longest Day

Weighty Issues

I had to drop Anna off this morning so I didn't get so see Amelia but I've just had the news that at this morning's weigh-in our little lady has gained another 40 grammes taking her to 1.235kg (around 2lbs 11oz). She's also up to 28ml of milk every 3 hours and save a few bits of sick here and there she seems to be taking that OK too.

Anna has the camera today so with a bit of luck there'll be some new material for the photo-junkies out there. Also later I'll be posting Amy's Gallery which is a simple way to look at the day-to-day pictures we've been taking. The mammoth My Longest Day post recalling the traumatic events of August 6th is nearly finished too so I'll probably be posting the first part of that within the next 24 hours.

World-wide well-wishers

And that's not easy to say either! Have a look at Amy's emails for some great messages from overseas visitors to the site. It really gives us a boost when someone we don't even know sends messages of support so please keep them coming either on the message-board or via email.

We are now receiving visitors from the US (12% of the total), Singapore, Canada, Netherlands, Portugal, Chile, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Norway, Belgium, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Sweden, Italy and New Zealand. Truly a world-wide web!

New feed regime seems OK

Popped in this morning and Amelia seemed to be OK on the new 3-hourly feeds which is good. Her Oxygen intake at the moment is a trace levels but we're just hoping that the cold she may developing isn't severe enough to push that up. All in all at the moment she seems to be doing fine.

Sorry Folks, Late Again

I was in Birmingham for most of today and have only just managed to get online. Amy had her biggest weight gain yet over the last two days, a whole 80grammes which is excellent news. On the downside she does seem to be developing a cold which is not good. This means she'll have to put all her energies into fighting that off for the next few days - not easy when you basically don't have an immune system yet. We just need to hope that it doesn't effect her Oxygen requirements too much and that she recovers quickly.

She moved up to 3-hourly feeds today at 25ml each time so we hope she'll tolerate those from now on. She did vomit a couple of times today after feeds but we'll see how she goes on tomorrow before calling it.

Promoted Again!

Well yesterday Amelia was 'promoted' to the big kids' room next door. This is basically a switch from intensive to special care. She's still in the incubator and nothing else has really changed.

This morning on the doctor's round there was detection again of a slight heart murmor for the first time in over a week. This is because of the PDA for those uninitiated; you can go to Amy's Classroom for more info on these.

Although it is very common in preemies it's a cause for concern for us. Amelia is still requiring additional Oxygen, albeit only a trace and this is due more to her lungs' deficiencies than the PDA but if the Oxygen requirement continues past when the lungs should be functioning normally they will have to investigate the cause. If the duct doesn't close, they may need to intervene surgically although we understand this would be some way off.

Bathtime

The dreaded cotton wool

(920k - around 40 seconds to download with a 2MB Broadband link)

4 Weeks Today

Well here we are 4 weeks to the day. I was hoping for a lot of things then and I've learned a lot since. Martin Luther King said:

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."

I don't know if Amelia has dreams yet but mine's to take her to watch City wallop United. Miracles can happen, she's the proof.

Vitamins & Minerals

Amelia was on top form again this morning. Yesterday she had been started on vitamin and mineral supplements. During the final trimester of pregnancy is when babies bulk up on fat and reserves and of course Amy missed out on this. As a result all the nutrition she is getting daily is being used which means she needs extra goodies to get some flesh on them bones. Apparently they taste like s*** and she'll probably sick them up for a couple of days until her tummy gets used to them. Nice

Couple of pics for you.

Ready with the ammo
Quick spit & polish
Tadaaa!

Web Stats

The art of good copy is to create news when there isn't any to print. Here's some webstats for this site in case anyone's even remotely interested.

AFC Site Stats - Click To Enlarge

Dull for you, great for us.

Sorry folks, very little to report today so far. Popped in for cares and the weigh-in this morning and Amelia has gained 30g in the last 2 days which is good. A nicely soiled nappy and she seems to be tolerating the new 2-hourly feeds.

All in all very uninteresting for you but wonderfully uneventful for us. A picture of Amy being weighed is all I can manage for now - marvellous.

Amelia on the scales today - Click To Enlarge

Esteemed Guests

Tonight Tom & Carrie came down with Carrie's mum Debs who wanted to meet her ladyship. Amelia was lounging around in her leisure suit as usual, I really must speak to her about that. Actually it's quite interesting because everybody else has seen Amelia pretty soon after she was born but to have been keeping track for the past 3 weeks and then to meet Amelia in the flesh must be quite odd.

Anyway thanks ever so much for the ace baby-grow and the fab balloon. We hope seeing Amelia was much fun as you'd hoped, pop back anytime.

At around 8:30PM we did Amy's cares and I had 10-15 minute cuddle before it was time for her feed. She seems really settled at the moment and she is tolerating the intermittent feeds. No vomits at all during the day today! Keep it up sweetheart.

Tom & Debs - Click To Enlarge
Carrie, Amelia & Anna - Click To Enlarge
Olly & Amelia - Click To Enlarge

Feed Me Seymour!

Amelia seems to be tolerating the intermittent feeds and this morning was on 8ml every two hours. We were just in time to administer her 9:00 feast.

Disciplinarians out there will be glad to note that we have insisted she remove her hat while being fed. She's also not allowed out to play until that tube is completely empty.

Breakfast in bed - Click To Enlarge