My Daughter Makes Me Feel Better

Today was my first day back at work after our holiday and boy was it a struggle. I really didn't want to get up and then I had a really bad day at work.

I came in to find stacks of work, everyone wanting a piece of me and not enough time to devote to any of it. What is worse is I came to discover that there are going to be changes to what I work on which everyone else knew about except me. My boss isn't in until tomorrow so I shall let her know I'm not happy then.

It's not necessarily that these changes are happening but that they were not discussed with me before being told to everyone else.

Anyway having managed to get through the day I also discovered at lunchtime that I had my wife's keys with me. This meant she couldn't go out today (I work over 1 hour away). She was not happy.

The happiest part of my day has been coming home to find a) my wife in a surprisingly good mood considering and b) my daughter standing waiting for me.

She immediately smiled amd put her arms out for me to pick her up. She clings on like a monkey and wont let go. Also when she gets excited her whole body shakes, it's so cute and funny.

We then spent the next 10 minutes giggling as she held each ofmy index fingers in her hand and we walked very quickly through the downstairs of the house until dinner was ready.

No matter what sort a day I've had my daughter makes it all better with a simple cuddle and smile.

Apologises

Well my family and I have just got back from our holiday to Cornwall. We spent a few days in Bude. It's a really nice seaside town. The weather wasn't too bad. It only rained on 1 day. That's not bad for the UK.

We didn't have a great deal of money to spend but we did have some fun. Our daughter had her first experience of the beach. She enjoyed it too. She was quite happy playing in the sand with her bucket and spade, even if it was a bit cold and windy.

I didn't help though. I was determined that she was going to have a paddle, unfortunately her feet are more sensitive than mine. When I put feet into the water she screamed, and screamed, and screamed. I carried her back up the beach with her feet wrapped in a blanket. She has forgiven me now, I think.

At the campsite we stayed at there was a pool. We did use it but only once, as it was bloody freezing. It would be a nice pool to use at the height of summer, but not on a warm but windy day in May.

We also took our daughter to Dairyland to see some farmyard animals. I think my wife was more excited than my daughter. We all had fun though. My daughter seemed to enjoy being in the ball pit best.

I would recommend Cornwall to anyone as there is loads to do and it would take years of holidays there to see everything.

My Feet Ache

Well yesterday I took my wife, our baby, her friend and her baby to the baby show in Birmingham and boy do my feet ache.

We walked around the arena for approx 4.5 hours and came away with bag fulls of freebies. We signed upto endless mailing list and filled in loads of survey and competition forms.

The stands there sold anything and everything from clothes, toys, feeding equipment, safety equipment and buggies to furniture, food, new style organic clothing and food, the latest learning techniques and even cars.

I would heartly recommend it for anyone who is about to have a baby or has just had one. The next event is at Earls Court, London in November. My wife wants to go to that one as well.

If you went to the show I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

The Art Of Putting Baby To Bed

When you find out you're going to become a parent, particularly for the first time, there are loads of things going through your mind. Excitement, happiness, panic, perhaps even a little dread and fear. These are all natural.

Once baby arrives then fun begins. Everything is new and exciting. Feeding, bathing, sleeping and even changing is new and exciting at first (this soon wears off after the first few stink loaded nappies). However there is one thing that will eventually start getting to you and that is the lack of sleep.

The answer to ending those sleepless nights is a 7-letter word beginning with R. ROUTINE.

From the very start my wife and I decided that we would get baby into a routine as quickly as possible. So once the initial excitement and learning of the first week was over we setup our bedtime ritual. Our ritual has become know as the 3B's.

At 6:00pm (or as close to as we could) we would start step 1 which was to Bathe baby. Once bathed and ready for bed we went to step 2.

Step 2 was feeding. This was done by Bottle (as my wife was unable to breastfeed).

Step 3 was simple case of putting Baby to Bed.

We used this from an early age and we have not had any sleepless nights. That is not to say she's has not woken up at times during the night but when she has it has been for no more than around 3o minutes.

I would heartily recommend you set your own bedtime routine and at the earliest possible opportunity. Our routine may not work for you but with a little adaptation you should be able create your own routine for your child and hopefully end those sleepless nights.

This Saturday

Well this Saturday my family and I are off to The Baby Show at the NEC. My wife went last year and bought back loads of free stuff. This year I'm going too along with our daughter. We shall be meeting friends there too.

I expect I shall be the glorified packhorse, however I do know that they have an area where you can deposit your goods so that you can carry on round to collect more.

The event is on from Friday 16th May to Sunday 18th May. If you cannot make it this weekend there is another event at Earls Court from October 17th -19th.

If you do go have fun and let me know how you get on.

Favourite Times

I love the weekend mornings. I get to spend time with my daughter on our own. She is normally up between 06:00 and 07:00 and as I'm an early riser too it allows my wife to have a lie in (much kinder for all of us all round).

These early mornings are great. We get up and and have breakfast together. Well she has breakfast, I have a cup of tea. Then its nappy change and a bit of play. She loves her Noah's Ark push a long toy that she got for Christmas. It plays 4 different songs and she shakes her booty everytime one comes on. She also loves her books and new teddy bear.

We have quiet cuddles and lots of giggles.

My other favourite time is bath time. It is generally the time of the day when my daughter and I can be on our own. She loves water. She splashes in the bath for ages and tells me about her day. She is also brushing her teeth on her own (well after I have brushed them first).

I'd love to hear about your favourite times too.

Bank Holiday farce

Last Monday was a Bank Holiday and my wife and I decided we would take our daughter to the local zoo (my wife loves the animals and think it was an excuse for her to go). Anyway we left a bit later than we wanted but once on our way we all happy, however this would change later.

We left the motorway and followed the signs to the zoo. Unfortunately when we eventually got to the zoo the car parks were full and the queue to get in was huge. We would've had to queue for at least 90 minutes and would've only been able to stop for another 90 minutes.

The decision was made to go shopping instead as my wife needed some new clothes (in this instance she actually does). So we continued on. Unfortunately I thought I knew how to get to the shopping centre quicker than my wife did. I took a couple of wrong turns and instead of taking about 20 minutes to get there we took about 2 hours. I was not popular.

The first thing we did when we got to the shopping centre was sit down to eat. We had to feed our daughter, she had been wingeing for something to eat for ages. Again in my rush to help feed our daughter I made my wife so angry she said she wanted to go home.

Eventually she calmed down by going off to a shop while I fed our daughter. After I'd finished feeding her we waited for my wife to come back but she didn't. In the mean time my daughter decide that this was the time for a nappy change. While changing her nappy my wife returned. Once I'd explained that a nappy needed changing she was fine and we went off looking for clothes for my wife.

We did get some clothes for my wife. We also went got our daughter a bear from 'The Bear Factory'. She picked her own bearskin, then kissed a hear to go into him before it got stuffed. Once she had her finished bear she wouldn't let him go. It was so nice to see her so excited.

In the end we didn't go to the zoo, we got some clothes for my wife and a bear for my daughter. We all went home happy.

Danger is approaching fast

My daughter is now finding her feet for longer and faster. This means my wife and I need eyes in the back of our heads. It won't be long before she is always on her feet and opening cupboards and stuff. She has already opened her first one.

Her favourite game at the moment is either emptying the DVDs from the rack or removing all the shoes from the shoe rack.

At least with all her running about she will keep us fit.

The Struggle

I don't know about you but we struggled to find a name that suited our baby. We were convinced that we were having a boy and we had names for him sorted.

When our daughter was born we felt all the emotions you get when your baby is born, suprise, elation and joy, but there was a hint of oops 'What do we call her?'

It took us at least 24hrs before we could think of a name that we both liked and felt suited her. Everything I liked my wife hated as it reminded her of someone she didn't like, sounded too posh or would cause her to get beaten up at school.

Everything my wife liked I felt was too common, there was already someone in the family with that name or would cause her to be picked on in school.

In the end we did find a name we both loved it just took a bit longer than we thought. It is very strange calling your baby 'Baby' because she doesn't have a name yet. Once we confirmed it and felt happy with the name another of those little weights was lifted from our shoulders.

Did any of you struggle to name your child? I'd love to hear about and also on why you chose their name.

How To Stop Baby Crying

As a new dad there is nothing more disconcerting or worrying than the sound of your child crying. It can seem like it goes on for hours and there appears to be nothing you can do to soothe them back down.

Babies cry for the following reasons.

1. They're hungry - Simple, feed them. We were told to fed our daughter every 4 hours but at night we kept having to wake her to be fed. In the end we left her to sleep as long as she wanted and fed her when she woke. This meant both my wife and I had some decent nights of sleep.

2. They've got wind - A simple rub of the back, quite firmly, in anti-clockwise direction with the heal part of the palm of your hand should soon have the offending wind back up and into your face. This is very important after feeding. To help avoid this altogether, along with a condition known as croup, is to use a medicine that helps baby's digestion. I would recommend Infacol (please bear in mind this worked for us but may not work for you, also I am NOT a medical person and have NO medical background)

3. They've got a dirty nappy - You should be able to tell very quickly if this has happened. The stench can be truly awful. A simple nappy change and everything should be all smiles and gurgling again.

4. They're too hot / cold - If baby is not hungry or dirty it maybe they are too hot or cold or ill. If baby is too hot or too cold this is easily remedied just add or remove clothes as necessary.

5. They maybe ill - Depending on the age of the baby will depend on what medication is available. I recommend seeking a doctor's opinion if baby is ill. They will be able to give you the right advice. This is always a very scary time particularly when your baby is very young (under 3 months old) and it's your first born. Apparently the second time round is never so bad as you've been through it once with the first one.

6. They maybe hurt - Babies are going to hurt themselves. Do not worry about it too much (unless they fall on their head or neck). Just by picking them up, giving them a cuddle and making soothing noises they should quieten down very quickly.

7. They could be overtired - A sure sign of this is constant rubbing of the eyes, and when being cuddled, burrowing into your shoulder. Again simply picking them up and giving a cuddle should be enough.

If none of these seem to be the reason and baby is still crying constantly here is what I have found to be a simple, quick and easy way to get baby to sleep (this particularly works well with very young babies - under 9 months).

Firstly take off your clothes so that you're semi naked and pick your baby. Babies love to feel the warmth of your skin and also hear the beating of your heart. It soothes them.

Next you need to stand up and start gently swaying from side to side. Don't move you feet, just rock sideways on your feet, changing the weight distribution on each leg each time. Your partner is bound to be able to do this instantly. It took me 2 weeks before I managed to get the sway right. Within 5 minutes any noisy and unhappy child should be well on their way to sleep, if they are not already there.

I hope you have found this useful.

Walking Round In Circles

For the first hour home from work I've had both my index fingers tightly grabbed by my daughter as she walked my around the garden back into the house and back out into the garden. I loved it. She giggled and spoke (baby sounds not coherent speech) and thoroughly enjoyed herself.

All that walking tired her out as after her bath she went to bed and straight to sleep. See the more exercise a baby does the more tired they become, the easier it is for them to go to bed.

These are the times I live for. She is growing so fast and I cannot believe she is going to be one in 4 weeks.

Hints & Tips

10 Things To Expect In The First Few Days As A New Dad

As a new dad there are many things going on in your life that were not there before. For example you now have an extra mouth to feed. This article is a list of those things that, both pleasant and unpleasant, I have come across in the first few weeks as a new dad.

1. The First Cuddle - I do not care what anyone says, when you first hold your newborn it is a magical moment. There is nothing that can prepare you for that moment. Just you and your child. You may have others around you but you will not notice them. It is just you and your baby. It may only last for a few fleeting moments but it is there and you will feel something indescribable. All new dads feel this at some point however briefly.

2. The First Smile - Much like number 1 this is a heart melting moment. As a new dad nothing can prepare you for this either. It may even happen while you are holding your baby for the first time.

3. The First Nappy - You may not see the very first nappy but believe me if you see a dirty nappy in the first 3 - 5 days you will notice it. It does not look like anything that you expect to come out of the backside of a human. It is a black / dark green colour and it is as sticky as hell. As a new dad it very odd to this strange substance come out of your newborn. Your baby is just getting rid of what it has been feeding on for the last 9 months.

4. Getting Home - There is great relief when you finally get home from the hospital. This means the staff are happy the baby is fine and is feeding properly. Your new life as a new dad starts now and changed forever.

5. Family & Friends - Most of your family and friends will want to see the new arrival as quickly as possible. You may have had family or friends at the hospital with you already. It will feel like the world and his wife will have visited or made arrangements to visit in the first week or so. They will make a fuss and generally say ‘You must be so proud’ or ask ’What’s it like being an new dad’. Enjoy this as it is about the only fuss YOU will get. Most will be focussed on the baby and your partner.

6. Feeding - This is another of those moments as new dads where you feel part of the whole experience as you get to feed the baby. Normally this is the preserve of the mother as most babies are breast fed. Some however cannot be and this means there another great father baby bonding moment waiting. The first time you feed your baby you feel so clever and privileged because it is something you can do.

7. Winding - This is so important. Once you have fed your baby put something absorbent over yourself. Babies are not able to get rid of their trapped wind very easily. It will be very painful for the baby if not dealt with. We have to help them. When they get rid of the wind it usually result in them being sick. This is normal. There are likely to be comments like ‘Just like their father’. It is very funny to hear your baby burp for the first time, but not as funny as hearing the first botty burp.

8. Sleeping - When you put your little one down to sleep you will have this unshakeable urge as a new dad to just sit and watch. I cannot explain it but seeing you child sleeping makes you feel relaxed and happy.
9. Bathing - This is a great time to get more of the new dad / new baby bonding going. The water has to be lukewarm as the baby’s skin is still very sensitive. Just being able to see those perfect little hands, feet, fingers and toes is truly amazing.

10. Your Partner - As a new dad you will also have to care for your partner in the first few days and weeks. She will have just been through a traumatic experience and her body will need time to heal. There are bound to be stitches on her body and she will not be able to move very far, if at all, without it hurting. You need to able to help her in any way. It is the least you can do after she has carried and given birth to your child.

There are many more things for you to look out for as the days and weeks pass. Each day your child does something new and different and it is up to you to spot it.

What a week

Well this last week has been extremely hectic and exciting.


My wife has had a week off from work and so things have needed to be done and places and people visited. I have been doing overtime but I managed to be at home when another of those amazing moments happens.


My daughter has started walking at the age of 10 months and 3 weeks. She walked a couple of steps last Thursday (May 1st) and then took a long walk of approx 15 steps on Friday (May 2nd).


It appears this may have shocked her as she has only walked 3 or 4 steps at time since.


What a moment though. To see your child walk for the first time is truly amazing.

The feeling you get when your child walks for the first time is one of unbelieveable pride. Your child is walking and growing up so fast. It is also a little scary as you know that very soon this little bundle of joy is going to be tearing around your home at break neck speed. They'll be getting into cupboards and drawers, emptying the contents all over the floor.