A little post-lunch nap

Tom thinks he looks like Jabba the Hut

This is Ben on Christmas Day, as we set out for a romp in a local park.

He's being a very calm big brother, so far.
He alerted Tom to the fact that Alex was wailing piteously in my arms while I tried to feed him with the phrase "Babies cry to tell us something, " which was straight from one of our 'new baby' storybooks.
At the time (as I struggled to latch him on for the gazillionth time in an eight hour period) it did feel rather patronising, but I love that he's taking ownership of the new Big Brother role.

I am missing spending time with him terribly. I tried to get down on the floor and play with some blocks this morning while Alex slept in the rocker, and hurt myself. I feel so good, in general, that I forget about minding the stitches.

Alexander Martin arrives!

He was born at 11.54pm on Wednesday 26th December, after an exciting drive through a torrential rainstorm. My waters broke at 10pm and we left the house around 10.30, having called friends who were taking in Ben for us. We started the 50 minute drive to the hospital, during which our windscreen wipers stopped working on a rather busy road. We crawled to the family who were taking Ben for the night, and Ellen bundled Ben off to bed while Bob drove us on to the hospital. Happily for us there were no further delays, as we arrived around 11.30pm and Alex was born at 11.54pm!

I'd had off-and-on contractions for all of December, and so had wondered about a relatively swift labour, but from my waters breaking at 10pm to a baby in my arms in under 2 hours was beyond all imagining.
As well as the predicted kidney reflux, which is being treated with a low- dose prophylactic anti- abiotic, Alex has a little touch of jaundice, which we are keeping an eye on. He's alert, relatively placid, and feeding well, and Ben seems to be coping well with the changes. More photos to follow!

We are doing something right.

We have a book called " What Mommies Do best / What Daddies Do Best" It's a nice conceit, you read halfway through the book about what Mummies do best (teach you how to ride a bike, bake a cake with you, give you a piggyback ride,) and then turn the book over and read the other half, which shows children doing the same things with their Daddies, as of course, these are also things Daddies do best. 

This morning, we were halfway through the book when I turned it and said "let's turn it over and see what kinds of things do Daddies do. What do Daddies do, Ben?"

"Cuddle."