Sleepy Girl

Natalie is a very sleepy girl today.

Asleep on the sofa

Asleep in Mum's arms

Back at home

Back at home after our trip away. The cat is very glad to see us back again. We are all tired after a long journey back from Wales.

Everyone is asleep on the sofa

Boxing Day in Wales

It was so nice being out in the countryside again that we decided to stay another night. Natalie was proving no trouble to be away from home with and we could spend all of boxing day relaxing rather than spending five hours driving home. That could wait another day. Some more of Kate and Paul's friends arrived today, with more young children. So it was quite a party. It did us all a lot of good to get out and about after almost 3 months of hospital and not getting away from home. It was great to go away with friends and feel normal again for the first time in ages. Natalie enjoyed all the attention too!

Mum feeding Natalie by the Christmas tree


Natalie falls asleep on Mum's shoulder after her feed

Natalie's First Christmas

After reaching our remote Welsh hideaway the night before, we had a very pleasant Christmas day there with a couple of our caving friends Kate and Paul, their daughter and Kate's parents. Natalie got lots of presents, and was the centre of attention in the country pub we took her to for pre-dinner drinks. I was great to get out into the countryside with Natalie and the pram for the first time. We even had a lovely sunny walk back from the pub while most of the rest of the country had rain all day.

Natalie on her new play mat with some of her presents

She looks a bit overwhelmed by all her new toys


Natalie also got her first piggy bank!


Natalie makes friends with Imogen

Wearing her new pink booties

Christmas Eve

Breaking our journey to Wales overnight at Grandma and Granddad's, we had a relaxed Christmas Eve morning seeing their new house and garden. But Natalie was centre of attention of course! We set off for our remote Christmas cottage hideaway after lunch. Here are some pictures taken on Grandma's camera.

Gramdma and Natalie

Granddad holding Natalie

Natalie looking over Grandma's shoulder

Preparing for Christmas

After all the stresses and trauma of the last few months, we really wanted to take some time out to chill over Christmas. So Dad took a whole 10 days off work and we took up an invitation from some of our caving friends to join them in a remote cottage in the Welsh countryside for a few days. Natalie is too young to know any different, and Mum and Dad were too tired to care much about Christmas preparations. So apart from getting a tree, we didn't do anything else to make the house Christmassy. So now Dad has finished work for the break, we started packing everything we needed to take of our first overnight trip away since Natalie arrived. That soon filled the car! So much stuff! Still, we got it all together and set off on a very foggy day to drive half way there, breaking the journey overnight at Grandma and Grandad's who live conveniently on the way to Wales.

Natalie now weighs 3.13Kg (6lbs 14oz).


We were amused to discover that Natalie's head is the same size as the plastic scoop we bought at the garden centre today!

Natalie does her karate kid impression

Baby Sick Mayhem

The evening started off peacefully enough, before Natalie's first evening feed.



But after her feed Natalie was sick all over her clothes. So a bath was in order, which she was not at all happy about!



We bathed her in the bathroom basin bath as this was the quickest option. Ginge took advantage of the situation to make his move onto Natalie's play mat.



Once Natalie was cleaned and dried she settled down again (but now with fuzzy hair!).



Finally peace returns.

Hospital Visit and Christmas Shopping

Natalie and Mum came to town for Christmas shopping over lunch, taking advantage of Dad's works bus into town. This was our first test of feeding her out and about, although we ended up using the work kitchen rather than trying to feed her in town. She did not need a feed while Dad was in town, and Mum was too tired to stay in town when Dad returned to work, so we all came back to Dad's work on the bus. We had a check up appointment at the hosptial later in the afternoon. The hosptial only gave us one days notice as I think they had forgotten us and were fitting us in last minute.

We arrived on time at 15:00, but were not actually seen until 16:00. This meant that by the time we were finished, the rush hour had started. Added to the Christmas shopping traffic and we were stuck in terrible traffic for over 1 hour trying to get back to Dad's work. Natalie was well overdue for her next feed by this time, and not at all happy. So we had to feed her at Dad's work before going home. Natalie cried all the way home from Cambridge too. We were all completely exhausted by the time we got home. Had a fish and chip supper and then Mum and Natalie fell asleep on the sofa before Dad finally put everyone to bed after midnight.

Natalie now weighs 2.960Kg (6lbs 8oz).

Asleep on the sofa with her dummy

Play Mat

We bought Natalie a brightly coloured playmat to lie on during the day. She is sometimes transfixed by the reflections in a mirror which is on the underside of one of the hanging toys. The house is still in a general state of chaos, with baby stuff piled up just about everywhere!

Natalie now weighs 2.790Kg (6lbs 2oz).

Natalie on her play mat

Dad and Natalie on sofa the surrounded by baby stuff

Dad does nappies

Mum took some photos of Dad doing his bit with the nappy changing today.

Dad is on nappy duty

Natalie came home from hospital with this dummy. We have not found any other dummies which she can suck properly, and we have not seen any of this type in the shops anywhere. So it is very precious, and we have to be very careful not to lose it!

New Clothes

Natalie is looking cuter than ever now that she no longer has a feeding tube. Today she was wearing one of the new outfits we bought when we took her on our first shopping trip into town recently.

Natalie now weighs 2.540Kg (5lbs 9oz).

Posing in her new outfit

Natalie with her sheep comforter

Sleeping in her travel cot

Sleeping on Mum again