Natalie Rose

Fun in the snow

2009-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

Lots of fresh snow fell over East Anglia over Thursday and Friday nights. Then we had lovely sunny days over the weekend. Natalie loved going out in the snow and we had three walks around the village over the weekend.

Natalie is her snow suit. We are really glad she still fits in it for a second Winter!

Natalie's first snowball!

Natalie discovers a snow angel

First Trip in Our Canoe

2009-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

We took our newly purchased 2nd hand canoe out on the river for the first time this weekend. We picked up the canoe a couple of weeks ago, but it has taken until now to get buoyancy aids for Natalie and Mum, and to sort out a river permit for the canoe. It is a large Canadian open canoe, suitable for three adults. So Natalie had plenty of room to roam about inside. After a quick test with just Dad on board, we loaded up the canoe and put Natalie in the front with Mum. Natalie was a little uncertain at first, and kept falling over as she tried to walk about. But once we had got her sitting comfortably we set off up the river, and she delighted in seeing everything. Boats, ducks, Swans with cygnets and lots of different dragonflies and damsel flies.

Natalie sat happily on the seat with Mum.

We paddled off up the river, and after a while Natalie looked very tired and soon dropped off the sleep. We lay her down in the boat and paddled on. We were making great progress, and after an hour or so Natalie woke up and had some lunch. In fact she ate really well. Mum remarked that we should always try feeding her in a canoe if she ate that well. She is playing up a lot at meal times at the moment!

Natalie slept for over an hour as we paddled along

She will sleep anywhere when she wants to!

We decided to turn around after 2.5 hours of slowly paddling down river. This had mainly been against a gentle breeze, so in fact going back up stream was quite a bit easier. Natalie had got quite confident in the boat by now, and was coming to the back to see Dad, and then going back up the front to try and squeeze onto Mum's seat with Mum. This made paddling a little difficult! Then she discovered she could just about reach the water with her hands if she dangled them over the side. She loved that, squealing with delight as her hands got wet. At this point she suddenly leant a bit too far over the edge, pivoted on her life jacket on the side of the canoe and plunged head first into the river! At least we now know her life jacket works properly. She bobbed up to the surface and it flipped her over onto her back very quickly. Dad was able to grab her as she floated past the back of the canoe and haul her back aboard! We changed her into some dry clothes, and within 10 minutes she was smiling again and trying her best to fall out again as she would not sit down. So she was not put off by the experience. Next time we will take two spare sets of clothes so we don't have to confine her to sitting for half the trip if she falls in again.

On the way back to where we launched, we met a cow who had fallen into the river and could not get back up onto the bank. The rest of the herd were all looking on concerned, and this poor cow was getting rather tired. We knew the bank was lower further along, so we spent a while gently herding the cow along the river to try and get her to safety. Then just short of the easy way out, the cow decided to swim across to the other side, and we had to pass her, come around and herd her back across. Mum was concerned the cow would try to climb onto the canoe and capsize us. But we eventually managed a successful cow rescue before the poor beast became too exhausted to get out. Quite an adventure for our first 'quick try' with the canoe!

Fellbrigg Hall

2009-06-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun looking round stately home gardens at Fellbrigg Hall.

Natalie found a big tree!

Running through the arches

Lost?

In the carrier with Mum.

A walk around Sherringham

2009-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

On our holiday in Norfolk, we spent a day walking around Sherringham. Starting in the woods above the town, Natalie slept in the rucksack carrier for the first hour of the walk. So we were down in the town before she woke up. After lunch in a cafe we went down onto the beach to run around and splash in the sea. Then we walked along the coast and did a big loop back to the car.

Having lunch in a cafe

Descending onto the beach

Natalie loved being chased by Mum on the sand

Throwing stones in the water, a family tradition!

Paddling in the sea

We had an ice cream of course!

Above the trees at the top of a tower we found on our walk

On the beach at Weybourne

2009-06-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

We spent a lovely week in Norfolk by the sea this month. Natalie loved every day of the holiday, and so did Mum and Dad. This is the first day we walked down to the beach from our holiday cottage.

Natalie was fascinated by the seaweed on the beach

You can wear it on your head

Or you can put it on Mummy's head!

She loves pebbles too, and picks them up everywhere we go

Natalie and the sea

Natalie has the Pox

2009-04-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

Poor Natalie has caught the chicken pox. She came out in spots at the weekend, but did not seem too bothered by it until Sunday night. Now the spots have gone all itchy, and she has a temperature and sore throat as far as we can tell. She is very unhappy when we cover her in calamine lotion, but between bouts of feeling really rotten, she still runs up and down the garden squealing in delight at the cats and has been enjoying going out in the sunshine.

Poorly girl cuddling up to Mum on the sofa

She really is getting quite spotty now.

Natalie's First Steps!

2008-10-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

Natalie walked unaided for the first time tonight! We captured this on video a few minutes after the first time she did it.

Davros, Destroyer of the Universe

2008-08-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Natalie Meets a Dragon!

2008-07-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

We spent a lovely weekend with our friends Cheryl and Barney, and their son William who is only a month or so older than Natalie. During the day we went to a petting zoo where Natalie was fascinated by the dragons in the reptile house. The dragons were pretty interested in her too!

Natalie face to face with her first dragon

"Can I tickle it under the chin?"

Natalie is out of Hospital

2008-05-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

To our huge relief, Natalie is back at home again after her operation, and looking so much happier. Here is a photo to prove it!

Operation and Hospital

2008-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sure any parents reading this will understand why the blog has got a bit behind with us having a 6 month old to look after! The past few months have been lovely really, with Natalie starting to smile and babble. All captured on camera and video of course, but not yet uploaded onto the blog I'm afraid. Unfortunately hanging over us during this time has been the looming date for Natalie's operation to fix her cleft palate. Dad is writing this blog entry live from the hospital cafeteria, having come to visit Natalie and Mum after work today. Natalie went into surgery on Monday, and was under the surgeons knife for around 3 hours. Thankfully the operation appears to have gone as planned, but she is not allowed home for at least 3 days. So Mum has been staying with her in hospital, and Dad has been there as much of the time as he can fit around work (who have been very understanding and supportive).

The past couple of days following the operation have been really quite horrible for all of us as Natalie has been in a lot of pain, and not at all her usual self. She went into hospital her happy smiling bouncy self, but came round after the operation very unhappy indeed. It was 24 hours before she really opened her eyes properly again, and when she did it was only for a few minutes (but really lovely to see her look at us again). Now another day on and she actually managed a little smile when Dad arrived to visit her this evening. She has been taken off the strong pain killers today, so she is starting to wake up a bit more now (but fell asleep shortly after Dad got here this evening!).

So hopefully we will be allowed to bring her home tomorrow, and can start to get back to normal. Hopefully as we are resting over the coming long weekend Dad will catch up a bit with the blog!

Natalie's First Wedding

2008-04-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

We took Natalie to her first wedding this weekend. It was very windy outside the church, and for some reason we did not get any pictures of her at the reception. But she really enjoyed meeting large crowds of people for the first time.

Natalie meets Matty, another recent addition to our caving club.

Natalie enjoying her first night in a B&B

In the Garden

2008-04-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just a pleasant day at home in the garden.

Natalie and Mum enjoying the Spring sunshine

Natalie is nice and warm in her thick coat

Natalie likes to feel our faces at the moment

Bath Time

2008-04-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Natalie enjoys her baths, and usually manages to empty half the water out onto the living room floor!

April Fool

2008-04-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Some April fools day pictures of Natalie.

This is a rubber moulded seat which supports Natalie so she can sit up before she has the strength to support her own weight. She enjoys being sat up as you can see.

She also enjoys being in her comfy recliner of course!

She is already developing her computer skills.

Playing Aeroplanes

2008-03-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Natalie loves being whirled around

Playing aeroplanes with Dad

More messy eating, now we are moving on to solids

First time in the snow

2008-03-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

While Dad was away caving in Spain over Easter, Natalie and Mum visited Nana and while they were there Natalie got her first experience of snow!

Natalie and Mum in the snow

She seems to be enjoying it

Cousin William playing with Natalie

Natalie is teething

Smiley Girl, Messy Chops

2008-03-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

She can be a messy eater, but she enjoys it!

Happy Girl with Teddy Bear

2008-03-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

Smiling on the sofa with one of her Teddy Bears

On the Malvern Hills

2008-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Spent a weekend visiting Grandma and Granddad, and took Natalie out walking on the Malvern Hills.

Dad, Mum, Natalie and Grandma out walking. Natalie is inside Mum's jacket.

Natalie on the hills

Reading Dad's magazine

Natalie with Grandma

Being fed by Dad

And by Mum too. Must be hungry!

Injections and Weighings

2008-02-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

Natalie had her latest set of injections at the doctors today, and was not happy at all. She cried at the first jab, and then with the second one she went into her supersonic silent scream which really pulls at the heart strings! On top of this, she was weighed for the first time in a month (cancelled health visitor appointments and clinics due to schools half term meant we had no chances to get her weighed in the past 4 weeks), and her weight gain was considerably less than expected. Now she might just be destined to be a slim perfectly formed little beauty, but it is a big worry for her parents who do not know if there is anything wrong with her development which might be affecting her growth. She is now in the bottom 2 percent of the average weight range for babies her age, after she had made such good progress from a similar position when she had a lot of catching up to do due to being so premature. We feed her as much as she wants, but don't want to shorten the time between feeds as this just means she needs feeding all the time and takes less at each feed. It doesn't help our worries to have people saying 'Oh, isn't she tiny!', especially all the other Mums at the parent and baby groups whose babies seem to be much bigger. Hopefully in years to come they will all be jealous of our beautiful slim girl!

Smiles All Round

2008-02-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Natalie has developed a lovely smile in recent weeks, and now smiles profusely whenever she gets our attention. This has been a challenge to capture on camera, as she stares with fascination at the lens whenever Dad points the camera at her. But he devised a technique to get around this today. By holding the camera under his chin rather than looking though the view finder, Dad can smile at Natalie and get her attention. Then every time she breaks into a smile he snaps away. Eventually a lovely in-focus picture of a smiling little girl is captured!

Smiling on the sofa for Dad!

Here she is smiling again in the kitchen with Mum

A Walk By The River

2008-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

The weather was lovely again this Sunday, so we went on a long walk by the river with Natalie and our friends Linda, Richard and Mark. Thanks to them taking some pictures we got some of Natalie with both Mum and Dad, and also had an excuse to go to the pub!

Natalie on the river bank with Mum and Dad

Natalie and Mum reflected in the river

Natalie in the pub with Mum

Dad and Natalie in a comfy chair in the pub

Natalie attempts her first pint of real ale!

Natalie's Friend Mark

2008-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Our friends Richard and Linda came to visit again this weekend with their son Mark who is a few weeks older than Natalie.

Linda and Richard with Mark and Natalie

A Walk Among the Snowdrops

2008-02-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

After the family get together yesterday, it was another lovely day on the Sunday. So we went for a walk at a nearby manor house which opens the gardens a few times a year for charity. This was the snowdrop open day, and we had a lovely walk round the gardens with our friends Jeremy, Annette and their dog Ben.

Natalie in the baby sling

Among the snowdrops

Mum and Natalie with snowdrops behind

Mum and Natalie in the formal gardens

A Family Gathering

2008-02-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

We had quite a gathering this weekend as all of Dad's siblings came to visit, along with Natalie's cousin Frankie. Frankie was born a few weeks after Natalie, but is already quite a bit bigger.

Frankie and Natalie together.

Natalie with Aunty Maria

Uncle Chris with Frankie and Natalie

Aunty Anna holding Frankie, and Mum holding Natalie

We all went for a walk round the village in the afternoon. Here is Natalie in the last sunlight of the day.

We passed this field of cows, silhouetted against the setting sun.

On the Sofa with Dad

2008-02-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Transfixed!

And soon fast asleep

Cousin William

2008-01-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Natalie has been to visit Nana and Granddad. Her cousin William was very excited to see her again.

Winter Walk

2008-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

We went for our first long walk with Natalie using the sling carrier instead of the pram this weekend. Good job too because we went to explore a local nature reserve where the path consisted of narrow planks of wood crossing a swamp! It would have been impossible with the pram. Natalie seemed to really enjoy it, as did Mum and Dad.

Dad with Natalie in the sling

Dad feeding Natalie in the woods

Mum takes a turn to carry Natalie

Natalie sleeps through half the walk

Mum needs a rest too! We walked several miles and were our for about 4 hours.

Smiles or Wind?

2008-01-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

Either this girl has a lot of wind, or she really is starting to smile!

Blue Eyed Girl

2008-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Natalie has lovely blue eyes, which it looks like she may hang on to. We have read that the blue colour can change to the permanent eye colour up to 3 years old, but we hope she keeps them.

Smiler

2008-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Natalie sometimes pulls what looks like a smile. People tell us this is just because she has wind, but how can we tell? It is lovely to see whatever the cause!

Instruction Manual

2008-01-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

With Natalie secured on the sofa, Mum takes the opportunity to read the next chapter in the instruction manual!

Happy at Home

2008-01-16T22:28:00.000-08:00

Everyone happily fitting on to the sofa

Bathtime

2008-01-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

We are bathing Natalie in a plastic bath in the front room at this stage. She is a bit lost in the bath in our bathroom, and would probably find it a bit too much.

Natalie is still not quite sure whether she likes bath time!

She is happier once she is snuggled up in a soft towel

Testing Prams

2008-01-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Our friends Richard and Linda visited us this weekend, with their little boy Mark who was born just a couple of months before Natalie. So we went out into the local countryside to test our prams on muddy footpaths, riverside paths and a ploughed field or two! We were joined by our friend Annette on the Sunday with her dog Ben.

Testing the all terrain prams

Down by the duck pond

Family outing with Mums babies and a dog!

Big Wooden Box

2008-01-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Mum was horrified to find Dad had hidden Natalie in a big wooden box!

New Year

2008-01-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well it is now 2008! We did not try to stay up to see in the New Year, sleep is too precious at the moment to miss out on any! We spent a pleasant New Year's day at home taking it easy.

Natalie asleep in Mum's arms

Mum with her little girl

Natalie was a very happy girl on her play mat today

I took this close up of Natalie holding my thumb while carrying her round the house. I think it came out rather well.

Sleepy Girl

2007-12-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

Natalie is a very sleepy girl today.

Asleep on the sofa

Asleep in Mum's arms

Back at home

2007-12-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-16T23:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

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

Natalie's Feeding Tube Removed

2007-11-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

Natalie had her feeding tube removed today. The community team determined that she is feeding well enough with the special bottles we are using that she no longer needs to be fed through a tube. So no more sticking it back to her face and trying to stop her pulling it out again. It is lovely to see her without it. She has now reached 2.420Kg (5lbs 5oz).

First trip into town

2007-11-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

We took our first trip out by car with Natalie today, going shopping in Cambridge. This was really a practise run for Mum and Dad with the car seat and the baby sling to see how well we coped. Natalie slept through most of the trip, including walking round the shops with her in the sling. We bought her some nice clothes and a few other baby essentials, then headed back home before she needed her next feed.

In the car seat ready for her first trip out

Sleeping on Mum on the sofa after a hard days shopping

Comfortable Pillows

2007-11-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Mum has lots of pillows to prop herself up while feeding Natalie and cuddling her on the sofa. Natalie needs propping up too as she cannot support her head yet, and Mum's nursing pillow is perfect.

Natalie trying out Mum's nursing pillow

Family Visits

2007-11-20T21:08:00.000-08:00

Dad returned to work yesterday, feeling a little tired due to lack of sleep for the past week. He arrived home to find Natalie and Mum both fast asleep on the sofa. Dad cooks dinner and after eating it Mum falls straight back to sleep. Dad puts everyone to bed around midnight.

Today some of the extended family came to visit. So Natalie had plenty of attention all day.

Natalie now weighs 2.260Kg (4lbs 15oz).

Natalie meets her cousin Willam aged 2 and a half, and her Aunty Sarah

Aunty Sarah, Natalie and Mum

Nana holding Natalie

Natalie gets some rest in the evening

Grandparents Visit for the Day

2007-11-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

Natalie had a visit from her paternal Grandparents today, the first time they have seen her since she came out of hospital. She was a darling all day and did her full cutest baby in the world repertoire. Dad is returning to work tomorrow, but Natalie did not settle down until midnight, and then had us up again at 1.00am! So we had a very poor night and Dad was very tired the following morning!

Here is a picture Grandad took of Natalie in Dad's arms

Natalie asleep on the sofa

Our first whole week at home

2007-11-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well we have had a whole week at home as a family now, and it has been lovely. No doctors and nurses organising us and telling us what to do. It was great having the care and support of the hospital staff during the past 5 weeks, but it was really nice to finally be able to start to find our feet on our own! Ginge (our cat) has adjusted surprisingly well to our new arrival, after ruling the roost for the past few years. Considering he hates noise and disturbance, we were a bit worried about how he would cope with a crying baby. But once he got over the shock of this new unexpected noise, he has already started to ignore it. Unless it gets really bad, and then he slopes off to another room for a lie down. I think we could learn a thing or two from him!

Mum is learning to eat lunch one handed!

Ginge is first in the queue for the nappy changing mat!

Wrapped Up

2007-11-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

Natalie continues to gain weight. She now weighs 2.080Kg (4lbs 9oz). Because she is premature she gets comfort from being confined and held close, like she would be experiencing in the womb. So she loves being wrapped up in a fleece blanket and held. She doesn't like being out in the open or too much noise and movement.

Natalie all wrapped up, contented in her blanket.

Exhausted!

2007-11-15T22:59:00.000-08:00

All this getting up all hours of the night has left Mum exhausted! She sleeps in front of the television when Natalie sleeps!

Another tube bites the dust

2007-11-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

Natalie managed to pull out her feeding tube again in the night. Two nights at home and two tubes gone! We are getting to meet all the various members of the community team as we have had to call them out two days in a row.

Now we have Natalie home we are enjoying putting her into all the lovely outfits we have for her. In the hospital she mainly wore clothes from the SCBU as they had a large collection of tiny clothes. Most of the ones we have found ourselves, and all the lovely outfits friends and family have bought her were a bit too big until now.

At night Natalie sleeps in a Moses basket next to our bed. She seems to be sleeping pretty well between feeds which at least allows us a bit of sleep per 3 hour feeding cycle. Dad is a night owl while Mum is an early bird, so Dad does the evening shift while Mum gets a few hours sleep. Then Mum takes over in the small hours and lets Dad get some rest. Natalie just sleeps when she feels like it!

Natalie sleeping in her Moses basket

Natalie all dressed up in her fleece jacket

First Night at Home

2007-11-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

Our first night all at home together as a new family. Natalie needs to be fed every 3 hours round the clock, so we had to find a couple more alarm clocks to wake us up at all the right times. Natalie pulled out her nasal feeding tube in the night, so we started the day having to phone the special care community team who came round first thing to fit a new one. Once that was sorted out we mainly did a lot of washing, being at home for more than a few hours for the first time in over a month! In the afternoon we decided to test the pram, and took Natalie for a walk round the village green. It was rather bumpy and we had to go very slowly to avoid bouncing Natalie around too much in her cosy all terrain transport. She slept soundly throughout the excursion, but I think the fresh air did us all some good.

Here is Natalie without a feeding tube coming out of her nose. I took this while I had the chance, before the community support team arrived to put in a replacement tube after she pulled the last one out during the night.

Natalie looks a bit lost in her carry cot. She is so tiny!

Mum with Natalie in the pram, out and about for the first time!

Natalie is all wrapped up as it was a cold day.

Natalie is at home!

2007-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

We got to take Natalie home on Sunday night as planned! We strapped her into the car seat in the ward, and took her on a final tour to say goodbye to all the staff who had helped care for her over the past five and a half weeks. Then out to the car and into a big traffic jam! Eventually we got home only a little late for her next feed (she needs a feed every 3 hours at the moment, 24 hours a day). Natalie seemed quite unconcerned with the new experience of traveling by car. At home Mum and Dad celebrated with some champagne! Dad is spending the week at home with Natalie and Mum, getting used to a routine of changing her nappy, sterilised her feeding equipment, helping feed her, cuddling her to get her back to sleep, tidying up the kitchen, cooking Mum some dinner, changing Natalie's nappy again .... !

Strapped into the car seat ready to come home!

Mum and Natalie home at last!

Wrapped up on Mum's lap

Natalie with Dad and a glass of champagne

Natalie celebrating with Dad!

Coming Home Plans

2007-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster ride to say the least. We seem to have been 'about two weeks' away from Natalie being possibly able to come home for some time now. So on Tuesday when the cleft palate team came to see Natalie, Mum discussed with them when we might be able to bring her home. They proposed an action plan as follows:

On Friday, Natalie moves onto the mother and baby ward, with Mum. They stay for two nights, and if feeding has gone well during that period then we should be able to take Natalie home on Sunday!

Then on the Thursday the consultant reviewed Natalie's progress and told Mum there was no way we would be going home on Sunday. Mum was very upset having had an end to the hospital stay in sight all week. Then she spoke to the cleft team again and it turns out that the consultant and the cleft team had not spoken to one another. So the consultant was advising based on criteria for a baby without a cleft palate, rather than on the recommendations of the cleft team! So now we were back on track to bring Natalie home on Sunday!

On Friday evening, Natalie was transferred into a mobile cot ready to be moved onto the ward, and Mum was re-admitted for the weekend to see how she got on feeding Natalie round the clock without the help of the special care unit staff.

Natalie now weighs 1.953Kg (4lbs 4oz).

Natalie in a cot ready to be transferred out of the special care unit onto the ward

Natalie puts on weight

2007-11-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

Mum and Dad went out to see the main Cambridge city public firework display this evening, leaving Natalie in the care of the hospital staff. She had her weight checked again today and has now reached 4lbs!

Our 'big' little girl

Proud Mum

Breast feeding progress

2007-11-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

For a few days Mum has been trying to get Natalie to breast feed, but we were unable to really tell whether she was getting any milk out. One of the midwives suggested trying latex nipple protectors (designed for breast feeding with sore cracked nipples). These would enable us to see if any milk was going in when Natalie latched on. So Dad went shopping to get some today, and Mum tried them in the afternoon. Success! Natalie was getting some milk, which cheered us both up and ended the weekend on a high.

Feeding by mouth successfully is one of the criteria we will need to meet before we can take Natalie home. She will still have a nasal feeding tube because she will get too tired taking all her feeds by mouth, but we need to be able to feed her if she pulls out her tube. Something she is become rather adept at!

It's not that her tube bothers her, she just likes to grab onto things

And that tube is just so handy to grab hold of and pull on!

Fireworks Display

2007-11-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

Mum and Dad spent the afternoon at the hospital with Natalie, then had a parents 'night out'. Well we went outside into the hospital car park for the annual free hospital fireworks display anyway! Surrounded by a multi storey car park on one side, and tall hospital buildings on two others, the fireworks echoed fantastically. It was one of the loudest firework displays I have every been to. Several toddlers had to be taken away in tears after the first 30 seconds! We couldn't tell whether Natalie had heard the fireworks from inside the special care baby unit, but she soon settled down for the evening when we returned to see her afterwards.

Natalie alert after we got back in from the fireworks display

But before long she was sleeping peacefully again

Dad gives Natalie a Cup Feed

2007-11-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Dad had his first lesson in cup feeding Natalie this evening. This is a technique to allow her to sip milk from a cup rather than us feeding her via the tube in her nose directly to her stomach. Now we have found out about her cleft, we have been advised she will get too tired trying to get enough milk via breast feeding, so cup feeding is an alternative. You have to tip the cup at the same rate she sips from it, or she chokes on it. Tricky as she tends to try and grab the cup with both hands. Dad managed to get most of the milk into her mouth rather than down her chin, and was then taught how to burb her to get all the air out she takes in with the milk this way.

Natalie now weighs 1.749Kg (3lbs 14oz).

Contented Natalie after her feed

Natalie has her first bath

2007-10-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Mum got to give Natalie her first bath today. First she was swaddled in a towel so that she did not feel uncomfortable being put into a big space (which is how the bath might seem to her). Then Mum lowered her into the water gently. Once she was happy in the water, Mum was able to unwrap the towel and give her a wash.

Natalie now weighs 1.620Kg (3lbs 9oz).

Swaddled in a towel ready for her bath

Lowered into the water

Unwrapped and comfortable being in the water

Complications

2007-10-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today we had to face the first significant complication since Natalie was born. The doctors have realised that Natalie has a slight cleft palate. It had not been noticed before because it is so slight, but suspicions were raised when Natalie was being fed by mouth yesterday and the milk was coming back out of her nose. What this means for Natalie right now is that she can’t seal off the airway between her nose passage and her throat, so she can’t get any suction when trying to breast or bottle feed. Therefore she gets tired out trying to feed without getting enough milk. This helped explain why Mum was having trouble establishing breast feeding, although Natalie is still only just reaching the stage of development where she was capable of breast feeding anyway. So we will have extra help from a specialist team who will visit us regularly to help us with feeding Natalie. Mum will need to continue expressing breast milk with a pump for as long as Natalie is on liquid feeding, as Natalie will not be able to get enough nutrition from breast feeding alone due to her cleft. Then at around 6 months old, Natalie will need surgery to fix her cleft. Hopefully because it is so slight, that will be the end of her problems with this. To be honest at this stage we are just relieved she has not got any more serious or longer term problems. Natalie is of course completely oblivious to all this, and continues to gain weight and look cute!

Still looking cute!

Natalie tests her grip

Natalie rests on Dad's lap

Natalie is now Official

2007-10-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

We officially registered Natalie this morning, so she now has a birth certificate. Mum and Dad are both completely exhausted today. At least it is the weekend tomorrow, so Dad can spend a couple of days at the hospital again.

Mum calms Natalie

Natalie looks contented

Natalie says 'No' to all the camera attention!

Foot Work-Out

2007-10-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Mum and Dad are exhausted mid-week from getting up early in order for Dad to get Mum to the hospital on the way to work every day. Natalie is full of life today, and spent much of Dad's evening visit kicking her feet at him! Mum and Dad headed home early tonight to try and get some much needed rest.

Natalie now weighs 1.495Kg (3lbs 5oz).

Natalie looks fast asleep on Mum's lap

But she she has spent most of our evening visit having a good kick with her tiny feet

Dad holds one of those little feet

Natalie is taken off the monitoring equipment

2007-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day trying a new routine of Dad commuting to work via the hospital to drop off Mum. It helped that it is also school half term week, as this drastically reduces the traffic in Cambridge so we had no difficulties making the journey in good time.

Dad returned to the hospital after work to see Natalie, and take Mum back home again. During the day, Natalie had been taken off all the monitoring equipment, and her heated mattress was removed. This was a bit sudden and unexpected for us, as we were still worried about her blood oxygen levels after last weeks scares. But the doctors assured us she is doing much better, and no longer needs monitoring by the machines. The heated mattress has been removed to see if she can regulate her own body temperature, a key ability she needs to show before she will be allowed home.

Natalie now weighs 1.458Kg (3lbs 3oz).

Natalie was on fine form this evening. Here are some photos and another cute video clip:

Natalie sucks her dummy

Another Full Day in the Hospital for All Three of Us

2007-10-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Mum and Dad spent all day in the hospital with Natalie again, which was especially nice for Dad as he is at work most of the day during the week. Today was much more relaxed than yesterday now we have confirmed we can manage OK with Mum coming home overnight and keeping up with expressing every 3 hours. So we got to enjoy some time with Natalie, who was on fine form today. Her oxygen levels appeared much better than a couple of days ago and she was lively and awake some of the time. Dad is becoming expert at feeding and nappy changing with two whole days of practise now! We have decided to try and establish a routine of Mum coming home every evening and being driven back in each morning by Dad on his way to work, rather than Caroline trying to get a room at the hospital again. Dad did a baby first aid course today at the hospital too, which was really useful and reassuring. Mum did the same course earlier in the week, so now at least we both know what to do if we have a problem once we get Natalie home (although it is very unlikely we will).

Natalie has Hiccups!

2007-10-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought she couldn't possibly get any more cute!

Mum and Dad spend the day with Natalie

2007-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Mum has given up her room in the hospital for the weekend so that a another couple with a greater need can use it, so she got to spend the night at home for the first time in 3 weeks. This was good for both of us as we are at this stage both utterly exhausted. Not that it helped a great deal as Dad spent a frantic afternoon trying to find a breast pump to buy, and Mum had to get used to the new pump. we also had to work out how to sterilise everything at home. Luckily we had bought a microwave steam steriliser some weeks earlier, which was good forward planning! Mum and Dad were up for 1.5 hours in the middle of the night trying to sort all this out. Dad prepared everything while Mum was still asleep, and then made some bread for breakfast while Mum expressed her milk using the new pump. The cat slept on the bed throughout and enjoyed a bit of attention from Dad in the wee hours!

Dad overslept in the morning and had to rush to give Mum a lift back to hospital (via Mothercare for some essentials!) so never got to have any of the fresh bread he made! We did get to spend the whole day with Natalie, which was the first time Dad had been able to do so. Nappies were changed, feeds given and plenty of cuddles for Natalie, who remained a bit grizzly all day. Ah well!

Natalie still has a drip in her foot as she had to go back on antibiotics

Little fingers, big finger

Back to sleep again

Natalie is wide awake!

2007-10-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandad had their second visit this evening, and Natalie put on a real show for them. She was wide awake for most of the hour and a half we were there, pulling funny faces and waving her little arms and legs about. This was only the second time Dad had seen her so awake, so Grandma and Grandad were very lucky! Dad took some more photos and video clips.

Natalie is making great progress, but as a result she might be moved to another hospital. The facilities at the hospital where she is are some of the best in the country, and as a result there is a high demand for spaces from babies and mothers who need the intensive care more than Natalie does now. The alternative hospital might not be further from home, but will be further from Dad's work, and Mum will not be able to stay over. So this is one more worry for us which makes things that bit more stressful!

Natalie now weighs 1.395Kg (3lbs 1oz).

Natalie awake and active

Natalie is worn out after an hour of antics

Natalie shows off to Grandma

2007-10-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Natalie enjoys her feed

2007-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Grandparents first visit and Natalie gives us all a scare!

2007-10-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Natalie's grandparents on Dad's side of the family got to see her for the first time tonight. But we had to wait before we could go in to see her because she had been having problems with her blood oxygen levels today and the doctors were doing an urgent full infection screen to test for all sorts of worrying possible causes. So we had a fraught couple of hours mixed with the joy of seeing her for the first time for Grandma and Grandad. The initial screens came back OK, but she is back on antibiotics for the next couple of days until the full test results come back.

I got some nice video footage of her today on my new video camera. I'll upload some once I get a chance to convert it for the internet (which may be some time at this rate!).

Natalie slept through most of today's visit, but she is now wearing a weird hat with a flap! She is too small for any clothes we have for her, but the hospital have a collection of all sorts for small babies, so she gets to wear some interesting outfits.

Kangaroo Care

2007-10-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Now that Natalie is in the SCBU and Mum has a family room on the unit, Dad can stay over at the hospital too and start to experience sleep deprivation! We can also pick Natalie up and give her a cuddle more easily now. Her feeding tube has been removed from her mouth and replaced with one via her nose now she is off CPAP, and so she can start breast feeding. She tends to fall asleep on the job though. It is often said by parents to their children that they don't seem to realise they've been born, but in Natalie's case I think she has a point! Apparently she will start waking up a lot more in a few weeks. So for now we are practising 'kangaroo care', a technique used to comfort premature babies (and their parents!). This involves undressing Natalie (apart from her nappy for obvious reasons) and cuddling her inside our clothes rather like a kangaroo baby in the mothers pouch. The baby finds the skin to skin contact reassuring, as it is reminiscent of the womb where they should ideally still be at this stage of development. As part of doing this, Dad had his first experience of changing her clothes. She seems so delicate, but can still put up a fair fight when Dad is trying to get her arms and legs back into her babygrow!

Here she is with her new nasal feeding tube

Natalie is out of Intensive Care

2007-10-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

When I visited Natalie this evening I was thrilled to discover she has been moved from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) into the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). This is one level of care up from intensive, on the way to being eventually allowed home. She has been taken off CPAP completely now as she has been coping so well. It was really good to see her in an open cot and to be able to pick her up and hold her. She slept throughout my entire visit of course!

Holding Mum's hand in her new open cot

Sleeping peacefully as usual

Natalie is breathing unaided all day

2007-10-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Some friends came to help Dad around the house this weekend, and we all went in to visit Mum and Natalie. Natalie has been off CPAP since midnight last night, and was still going strong at 4pm! At this rate she will be off CPAP soon and we will be able to hold her a lot more. Dad gave her hourly feed of 8ml of Mum's milk. Later she woke up and pulled some faces at Dad.

Natalie exceeded her birth weight for the first time today. She is now 1.27Kg (2lbs 13oz).

Dad feeding Natalie

Natalie sleeps while she is being fed

Natalie seems happy with her 'giant' teddy

Mum is allowed out of hospital

2007-10-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

Mum has been discharged from the hospital today! She is still staying in the special care baby unit in one of the family rooms, but she is no longer a patient. Natalie is continuing to make excellent progress too. She was off CPAP again when Dad visited today, which was great to see, but meant that Dad could not hold her. She needs to be left alone while she is building up her strength with breathing unaided.

Mum feeling much better yesterday

Natalie gets a proper cuddle

2007-10-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

We were able to have Natalie out of her incubator for the first time today, and give her a proper cuddle. Both Mum and Dad had a turn. It was so nice to be able to hold her properly after a whole week only being able to rest our hands on her in the incubator.

Mum gives Natalie a cuddle

Dad's turn

Mum, Dad and Natalie together

Natalie has time off CPAP

2007-10-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Today was a really good day for all of us. Natalie was taken off her CPAP for an hour to see how she did. She has to be weaned off the CPAP gently because her chest muscles need to gain strength to allow her to breathe without the assistance. So the nurses kept an eye on her to check that her blood oxygen levels were staying high enough, and that her rate of breathing was not too high (which it would be if she was getting too tired breathing without the CPAP). She was doing so well after the hour that they kept her off for almost a whole second hour. This also meant we got to see her without her hat and tubes strapped to her nose. So here are some pictures of her not all covered up.

Natalie hangs on to Dad's finger before she is taken off CPAP

The nurse lifted up the top of Natalie's incubator so we could have this photo taken of all three of us

Mum with Natalie

Mum comforts Natalie

Natalie hangs on to Dad's thumb

Natalie Dreams

2007-10-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

I managed to record this lovely video clip of Natalie while she was off CPAP today.

Dad feeds Natalie

2007-10-09T23:28:00.001-07:00

I have been shown how to feed Natalie using a syringe to measure the milk, which is then allowed to flow down a tube directly into her stomach. She is now taking 4ml per hour, four times as much as yesterday! This was also the first time I have been able to get a photo taken of me with my baby girl.

Proud Dad feeding his baby girl

Natalie fast asleep again!

Dad helps change Natalie's nappy

2007-10-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Dad returned to work today, so only got to spend an hour with Natalie. But Natalie was wide awake so I got to help change her nappy for the first time. To be honest, Mum did most of the work with the help of a nurse. There are only enough holes in the incubator for two pairs of hands, so I helped hand things to Mum. Then once the clean nappy was on, I got to lift Natalie so the nurse could replace her bedding. She is so light and delicate, but it was really nice to be able to do something hands on. It did mean that I was not able to take any photos today, but here are a couple from yesterday evening which I took after I wrote yesterday's post.

Dad comforts Natalie

Natalie was sleeping peacefully tonight

Day 3 Natalie starts feeding

2007-10-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

Natalie was started on Mum's milk today, and seems to be coping well. She is being fed via a tube directly into her stomach at the moment. Dad got to hold the syringe containing the 1 ml of milk she gets per hour which flows down the tiny tube under gravity (the syringe plunger is not used).

Natalie was sleeping most of the time when we came to see her today

Mum sits by Natalie's cot. Mum is doing much better today too.

Mum comforts little Natalie

Day 2 Mum gets to see Natalie

2007-10-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

Mum was finding it very painful to move today, but she was being transferred to the special baby ward from her room in the delivery unit. So while she was out of bed, she was able to see Natalie for the first time since the operating theatre.

Mum gets to visit Natalie for the first time since the birth

Mum caresses Natalie

Tiny feet

Natalie is skinny like her Dad!

Later in the day, Mum is feeling a lot better. So we made another trip up the corridor to visit Natalie again.

Natalie is sleeping peacefully this afternoon

Proud Mum

Tiny toes!

Natalie showing how good her lungs are

2007-10-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

I managed to catch Natalie awake while I had my digital camera handy, and recorded this short clip of her making a bit of noise on her first day.

Day 1 in the big wide world

2007-10-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dad got to spend some time with Natalie today, and take some pictures. Poor Mum has to remain in bed for 24 hours receiving medicine via drips so she was not able to come and see Natalie yet. Natalie was sleeping most of the time, but had a bit of a stretch and a cry while I was there. She is being kept in an incubator to keep her warm and to block out some of the noise from all the machines which she is attached to. She is still needing some help with breathing from the CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine, because her lungs are still developing. She is only being fed a sugar solution so far, via a tube.

Natalie asleep, about 17 hours old

She looks so little next to Dad's hand

Sleeping peacefully despite the CPAP tubes attached to her nose

A view through one of the port holes of her cot

Natalie's cot and all her gadgets

That headset will be great practise for wearing a caving light in later years

Natalie makes an unscheduled arrival

2007-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Natalie (our first child) made a surprise entry into the world today. I'd only gone to the hospital for a guided tour of the special care baby unit in the afternoon, in case we ended up needing their services because Mum was already in hospital with high blood pressure. But within the hour we were in the delivery unit being advised that it was in the best interests of both Mum and the baby to deliver her now! So Natalie Rose was delivered by cesarean section at just 32 weeks. Weighting just 1.25Kg (2lbs 12oz) she started breathing of her own accord, and immediately started bawling loudly! Quite an afternoon.

Here she is just over an hour after being born. She needs special care because she is so small, but she appears to be healthy. She is breathing herself, but is being helped by a positive air pressure supply to help her little lungs get enough oxygen in.