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April 3, 2007
Babies, Passports and Glitter
Not exactly a match made in Heaven?
A BIG HELLO from Sheffield, dear Chicklets, where I am currently spending quality time with Super Mum and the rest of my Sheffield Family! (And eating fish and chips, cheese and Branston pickle sandwiches, take out Indian curry, and pork pies and pasties - my waistline is grumbling very loudly, but I am determined to ignore it until I arrive back in the Netherlands next week.)
Yes, yes, I hear you all cry, but what does that have to do with babies, passports and glitter?
Well...
Babies (Don't you just love 'em?)
A few weeks ago Oh Patient One's brother and his wife had Baby No 1 - the first baby on either side of our families in seventeen years. We're off to Australia in July to visit with them (although I am extremely trepidatious of the spiders and snakes). And on Saturday, when I arrived chez Super Mum in Sheffield, I was greeted by the news that by niece had just given birth to Baby No 2 - the second baby on either side if our families in seventeen years.
When I arrived at the hospital I very sincerely thanked my lovely niece for conveniently timing her labor with my arrival :-) (And what a lovely, lovely baby Baby No 2 is!)
There was a labor horror story, of course, but I can't tell you my niece's, because that's her tale to tell. But I can certainly tell you about mine. No Longer Teenager No 1 - 3 days of start-stop start-stop labor. Three trips to the labor ward. The third time I went, the midwives promised me that I would not be going home without a baby! With Teenager No 2 my plan was to, you know - because everybody knows that second babies just pop out - drop into the short-stay labor unit, give birth, then have a photo op a few hours later featuring me, the radiant mother, complete with wonderful hair and an immaculately made up face. 24 hours labor later I couldn't care less about my scarecrow hair or lack of makeup (and I didn't allow a video camera or any other kind of camera in the room, either)!
So go on, Chicklets, feel free to share your own labor stories if you'd like to. I want to hear them!
Passports
So, I'm here in Sheffield and The Plan was for Oh Patient One to join me on Thursday night. Teeanger No 2 opted to stay in our Rotterdam apartment with the company of a few friends. But on hearing of his new second cousin he decided that he wanted to come after all. Yesterday I booked the flights online, it was all arranged, until...
Oh Patient One called me last night to tell me that Teenager No 2's passport had expired, and there was no way the British Consulate could renew it in 2 days! (I called the Consulate this morning...)
Glitter
Well, glitter doesn't have anything to do with babies or passports, but I did promise you a photo of the glam rock jacket I very quickly threw together for Teenager No 2 last week. Here it is!
I think I hear Super Mum and The Greatest Grandma calling for more tea...got to dash!
Posted by Michelle at 4:09 PM | Comments (4)
Comments
Nothing to do with babies or passports, but today I did my duty as an aunty. I have a snotty cold and was up at 5.30 a.m. to make patty cakes for my niece's birthday. Pre cold, I had told her that I would make 30 for her to take to school. Naturally, there are 26 children in her class.
And that documentary Born to Boogie popped up on TV this week. Marc Bolan was dressed in green satin trousers, a glittery silver coat and a t-shirt with his picture on. He would have looked better in your last minute jacket.
Posted by: wendy at April 4, 2007 1:04 AM
Yay! Hi to super mum and hugs to the new baby!!
Posted by: Alesia Holliday ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 4, 2007 9:03 AM
New babies are always so fabulous!
Although I have, in fact, given birth (via emergency c-section), I have never experienced labor. Things went downhill in a hurry as I hit 36 weeks of pregnancy (I bypassed toxemia and developed HELLP Syndrome), making it necessary to remove child from my body post haste. And while there was no labor, there *was* excruciating pain involved as both head and liver get involved. There was also massive swelling of my already swollen body, requiring 3 nurses and 6 tries to get an IV started. Evidently, this was crucial so that they could pump me full of magnesium (which evidently acts as a whole body muscle relaxant, although I didn't know that) as they were worried about convulsions.
Because of this worry, they also put me completely out to do the c-section, meaning I went to sleep and woke up some time later to the news that I had a baby. It was (and still is) a trifle bit odd feeling. But the kidlet was perfect, weighing 5 lbs. even, and had no problems whatsoever from being a preemie. And now he's a totally normal sized 7 year old - who hasn't stopped since he came out!
Posted by: Dia at April 4, 2007 4:56 PM
New babies are always so fabulous!
Although I have, in fact, given birth (via emergency c-section), I have never experienced labor. Things went downhill in a hurry as I hit 36 weeks of pregnancy (I bypassed toxemia and developed HELLP Syndrome), making it necessary to remove child from my body post haste. And while there was no labor, there *was* excruciating pain involved as both head and liver get involved. There was also massive swelling of my already swollen body, requiring 3 nurses and 6 tries to get an IV started. Evidently, this was crucial so that they could pump me full of magnesium (which evidently acts as a whole body muscle relaxant, although I didn't know that) as they were worried about convulsions.
Because of this worry, they also put me completely out to do the c-section, meaning I went to sleep and woke up some time later to the news that I had a baby. It was (and still is) a trifle bit odd feeling. But the kidlet was perfect, weighing 5 lbs. even, and had no problems whatsoever from being a preemie. And now he's a totally normal sized 7 year old - who hasn't stopped since he came out!
Posted by: Dia at April 4, 2007 4:56 PM
