Listography – My Perfect Day

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Jennie

I am so thankful to have this to do today as I am having the worst few days ever with Esther and William, well William really. He is teething with a temperature and refusing to eat or sleep. I love him with all my heart but he is exhausting at the moment as he is often inconsolable. David works from home and is getting increasingly stressed that he is needed to help with the babies rather than focus all his attentions on his work. I think we are both nearing breaking point, so taking 5 minutes (albeit with William in my arms!) to ponder on what would be a perfect day for me right now is a really rather nice thing to do.

What would make my perfect day right now?

1 – I would wake up to a warm, sunny morning. The babies would wake smiling in their cot and we would go downstairs where I would put them down to play on the lawn whilst I got a breakfast of coffee, orange juice, fruit and croissants. I would sit in the warmth of the sun and watch my children playing happily together. It would be quiet apart from their beautiful coos and babbles. There would be periods of warm hazy silence.

2 – The postman would deliver a letter from my sister telling me that she is pregnant and that she is moving home from Australia not just to the UK but to Kent where we will be sisters, friends and neighbours and our children will grow up knowing each other like cousins should.

3 – I would have lunch in a cafe courtyard in the sun and enjoy drinking wine and eating finger foods with good adult conversation with a group of friends. We would laugh and joke and be playful. We would discuss and debate. We would not notice the sun beginning to set and day turning to night. It would be wonderful.

4 – I would go to a salon and have a relaxing back massage, facial with Indian head massage and have my hair cut and styled. I would take a lovely outfit with me to the salon and would dress there ready for an evening out.

5 – The evening would be with all my family and friends together at a function rather like a wedding reception with good music and good food. There would be dancing to cheesy music. There would be fun and frolicks and laughter. Lots of laughter. Everyone would be loving the company of everyone else. It would be riotous and yet so peaceful. Like being home!

And if there were just one impossible thing that I could make happen right now, I would like to go to 167 Grange Road for a cup of tea, a game of scrabble and a cuddle with my Nan. Because I miss her so much even now, everyday. That would be a perfect day.

First Ever Flashback Friday

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Jennie

For the first ever Flashback Friday I am exploring Februarys past.

FEBRUARY 2011

This February has been all about my sister’s wedding. My wee sis got married to her lovely man, Hugh. They are now in the US on honeymoon before they return to Oz where they live. Well done again, wee sis. So, so proud x

FEBRUARY 2010

February 2010 featured another wedding. On a beautiful winter day David and I went to our dear friends Rich and Lex’s wedding. I was about 5 weeks pregnant in this picture and we were not sure yet if it would be twins or not!!

FEBRUARY 2009

February 2009 is when we moved into our house. It has snowed a lot since we started living here. It is a perfect house for snow and Christmas. More about that next Friday as I plan to feature the house again in my Friday Flashback post.

FEBRUARY 2008

This was the month that my parents left for Spain but here I am with my Dad on his February birthday before they left. It his birthday on Sunday actually, so …

Happy Birthday Dad!!

So there you have it, a little flash through my februarys past. What will you choose to reminisce about? What have others chosen to share? Why not hop on over to Cafe Bebe and begin your own trip down memory lane.

Thank you for a fun Friday meme x x

Music I Want My Children to Listen To – Paul Anka

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Jennie

When I first participated in this link up from Ghost Writer Mummy I thought it was a one off, now I have realised that it is a weekly link I am very excited and desperate to join in. I begin my contribution with Paul Anka’s ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulder’. This song was a favourite of mine and my sister’s when we were growing up. Our parents always used to play it in the car and we would sing our hearts out in the back seat and act out the actions!!!! Recently at my sister’s wedding we took to the dancefloor, just the two of us, and did the same thing again. It was a wonderful sisterly moment, one of so many, that I will never forget. I hope that Esther and William will have songs and moments like this one and I want to share it with them, my sister and all of you on this day.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=489532422811&comments

Put your head on my shoulder
Hold me in your arms, baby
Squeeze me oh so tight
Show me that you love me too

Put your lips next to mine, dear
Won’t you kiss me once, baby
Just a kiss goodnight, may be
You and I will fall in love

People say that love’s a game
A game you just can’t win
If there’s a way
I’ll find it somebody
And then this fool with rush in

Put your head on my shoulder
Whisper in my ear, baby
Words I want to hear
Tell me, tell me that you love me too.

Put your head on my shoulder
Whisper in my ear, baby
Words I want to hear, baby
Put your head on my shoulder

http://www.lyricsdepot.com/paul-anka/put-your-head-on-my-shoulder.html

Gratefully Cheery Week 6

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Jennie

This week has been a difficult week for me as Esther, William and David have all been quite unwell. As has my cousin who was hoping to come round and support us while she was off work this week. However this difficulty has lead to one of my main reasons for being cheerful, I have asked my Mum to come and stay for a few weeks, and I am really really looking forward to spending some proper time with her. More on that in a minute.

My reasons for being cheerily grateful this week …

My sister’s wedding was a wonderful occasion and she was a beautiful bride!

It really was a great day and Julie did not stop smiling throughout. I did not stop crying! People kept asking me on the run up to the day “Will you be emotional when your sister gets married?” and I said no. I really did not think that I would be but as soon as I woke up that morning the tears welled up. I could not look at Julie without crying. She was so beautiful and I felt so so proud. My little sister was a bride and now she is a wife! Congratulations again Mrs Newsome!

Esther and William seem to be surviving their first cold without needing medical intervention

I think that they both have the same cold on top of which they are teething but oh how different they behave!! Esther is quietly getting on with life while William is letting everyone know that he is not very well! So so different. He is definitely suffering though our William. He screams with pain and his cheeks are red raw. He is also a total snot monster and seems to be off his food. But I am thankful, so thankful, that 3 days in and he does not seem to be getting worse. I am hoping that this time hospitalisation has been avoided. Touch wood!

Esther and William are now sleeping in a big cot!

When we got home from the wedding on Sunday night we did not rebuild the bedside co-sleeper instead we transferred both babies into one traditional wooden cot. It is still beside our bed to make night feeding easier but it is a big, proper babies cot. They sleep side by side horizontally across the cot. We plan to keep them together until after our wedding in September when they will be one year corrected age, then they will graduate again to a cot bed of their very own!

This blog has entered the Wikio Top 500 Parenting Blogs at 396!!!

Today I received an email telling me that my blog has entered the Top 500 of the Wikio UK Blog Ranking in the category of Parenting. Woo Hoo! And when I checked my ranking it is 396! This has not only made me cheerful, it has made me determined to be a better blogger and to make my way up the ranks! One can only try! One of the things that I am hoping to do is move my blog and rename it to make it more memorable and appropriate for the content it now includes. I have a website as well as this blog called Edspire and so may combine the two and host my writing there.

My Mum is coming to stay!

My parents live in Spain and though we seem them quite regularly it is not the same as having them here when I need them. Subconsciously I think that this has been really getting to me since my operation and the babies being born. It has, from my point of view, really affected my relationship with my parents. Today I made the first step in putting things right by asking my Mum to come and stay. I should have done it weeks ago as we have desperately needed help but something inside me just wouldn’t let that be. Now I have realised, through Esther actually, that this is not the right way to be. I loved my Nan more than all the world and my children deserve to have a chance at a similar relationship with theirs. Also, I would hate it if Esther acted toward me as I have been doing to my Mum recently. I have to move on from the bad birth of Esther and William and do everything I can to give them the good life they deserve. David’s family are wonderful but I want Esther and William to know my side of the family too, and I want my Mum and I to be friends, something I don’t think we have ever been. Lets hope that we can all start again and make things work as they should x That really will be something to be cheerful about!

For My Sister

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Jennie

Today dear Sister, as you walk down the aisle You’ll see all the faces wearing a smile. But as we remember those young tender years Our smiles will conceal a few hidden tears. It isn’t through sadness , it’s emotion … Continue reading →

Silent Sunday – Nice Day for a Welly Wedding!

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Jennie

This week I am joining in with Silent Sunday in celebration of my sister’s wedding.

Congratulations to my younger sister, Julie,

who married her best friend, Hugh,

on Saturday 5th February 2011.

Love you both Mr and Mrs Newsome x x x x

A Week of Good Cheer

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Jennie

This week has been a week of firsts, and cheerful firsts at that! I have lots of reasons to be cheerful this week and here are some that I have chosen to share.

As with previous weeks I have chosen photos to illustrate each point but they are shown together in the gallery at the end of the post.

My Fiance has started his 2011 challenge – to swim in the sea at least once every month!

David and I both love the water but for me it has to be warm, at least the weather if not the water! David however enjoys the sea in all seasons and this year he wants to make sure that at least once each month he swims in the sea, wherever we may be. On Sunday we went to Winchelsea in East Sussex with my parents. My Dad captured these great shots as David braved the waves of Winchelsea Beach. Mad fool! I love him dearly exactly because of things like this x He makes me smile so much x

I had a wonderful few days introducing my sister to her niece and nephew

My little sister, Julie, is home from Australia to get married. Her wedding is on Saturday. She took some precious time out of her busy pre-nup schedule to get to know her niece and nephew. It has been just lovely having her around and we will miss her very much now that she has gone. She was a natural with the babies and now we are hoping that Esther and William may soon have some new cousins to play with, albeit on the other side of the planet! Have a wonderful wedding wee sis, we will see you there!!

I am not alone as a Premmie Mum

I struggle some days with feeling alone and lonely and misunderstood. Kylie Hodges has shown me that this is not true. I am such an avid reader of this blog and I hope that one day I will get to meet Kylie and her beautiful little boy, Joseph. Thank you for being such a great friend and support. Your virtual shoulder to cry on means so much. Thank You.

http://notevena.blogspot.com/2011/02/being-mum-to-premature-baby.html

I went on the train to town with the babies

For ages I have been wanting to take the babies on the 9 minute train journey to our nearest town but I have not been brave enough. Today I did it, with my sister, and it was really good. We had a good girly day shopping and it was so good to get out. We had coffee and I breastfed in public too. It is not something I would want to do all the time but I am glad that now I have doen it once I will not be too worried to try it again. Spring is coming, the end of cold and flu season and time for us to get out and about! How exciting, a definite reason to be full of cheer.

Still need more stories to make you smile. Follow this link to Mummy from the Heart’s Blog to find more Reasons to be Cheerful!

2011

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Jennie

And so 2011 has begun! This is a very special year for me as in the next 12 months I will see my younger sister get married, get married myself and celebrate Esther and William’s first birthday. I am feeling … Continue reading →

Possible Infection!

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Jennie

9.8.2010

Arrived at the hospital just before 9am. The doctors were intubating a new arrival on the ward so we were asked to wait in the lounge.

David had to leave to look after Rohan before the doctors came round.

I was able to change Esther’s nappy and oil her flaky skin. She seemed to really enjoy having the oil massaged in and it stopped her desaturating. She also liked holding my hand.

Tracy, today’s nurse, explained that Esther is tired. She needs to be on CPAP continuously to help with her breathing. Her oxygen support varies but she is currently on 27%. She just needs time to rest and grow. The doctors looked at her. She is to stay on her CPAP with no time off and to continue on 8 mls of milk hourly. The doctor has asked for a chest xray and for her bloods to be cultured to rule out infection. The main thought is however that she was pushed too hard too fast and is now very tired. They are also checking her HB (iron) levels to rule out anaemia. Poor Esther but at least we will know one way or another. She lost weight overnight.

William is doing well. He has put on more weight and is now 3lb 1 and a half ozs. Because of this his milk has gone up to 9ml every hour. He will have one hour off CPAP today. He did one and a half hours last night but was very tired. The doctors are pleased with his progress but do not want to push him too hard. He is on 22% oxygen.

After the doctors round Julie came with me to the milking room as otherwise we were going to run out of time together. After milk we went to see the babies and then it really was time for Julie to go. I told her through tears that I really wished she could stay. I have loved having her here. I love my wee sis very much and the twins will love their Aunty Julie, I’ll make sure that they do, even when she is far away in the land of Oz.

After Julie left I did William’s nappy and oiled his skin etc… He was so good and so stable. After cares he came off his CPAP and we read poems and and sang hymns. His incubator oxygen was set at 26% whilst he was off his CPAP. He and Esther are both now having multi vitamins with their feeds.

William really is a gorgeous baby. I got some great photos today. I love him SO much!

I went away for some lunch and came back to find William still off his CPAP. He was approaching 2 hours and seemed to still be doing well.

Esther had her chest xray. The doctor and Tracy talked me through it. It seemed fine though there was a tiny white area that the doctor called ‘fluff’! This could be the start of something but they need to see blood cultures first. If they show something out of the ordinary then Esther will start some antibiotics. They have put a cannula in just in case. Esther howled as the doctor put it in and Tracy gave her some sugary water to soothe her. It seemed to help. It really breaks my heart when she cries and to see the doctors sticking things in her and taking her blood. They really struggled to get blood today. They were trying to get it out of her hand. Poor little Star!

After milk at 2.15pm I was able to have both William and Esther out for cuddles whilst on their CPAP. It was lovely. I was a bit hesitant but Tracy reassured me that cuddles are good for them aswell as me.

One set of bloods came back for Esther that were taken very early this morning. They showed no signs of infection but her Hb had dropped to 11. It should be higher than 12. Tracy thinks we are 2-3 days away from her first blood transfusion. I think so too as I now recognise the signs – pale, struggling with breathing and agitiated easily. I actually hope that she will have one soon as it seems to have done the world of good for William. We have to wait now for the results of her afternoon blood tests to see if they indicate an infection or anaemia.

William will also have further blood tests this afternoon as he may need to go back under the blue lights for jaundice! This is routine for their gestation and to be expected. Poor Master William!

Just before 5pm the doctors came round again and explained that Esther has slight shadowing on the left side of her lung but this could just be the natural maturing of her lungs. She is currently presenting no signs of infection, so for now we sit tight. If anything out of the norm shows there will be no hesitation in starting antibiotics. But for now, we wait! I am going to have to get very good at waiting. One of the other reasons that the doctor is happy to wait is that Esther has been back in air for much of today. Such a rollercoaster!

Tracy wants me to go to my GP and get my operation scar looked at, so I will make an appointment tomorrow. Will also go for my postnatal check up on Folkestone Ward.

Esther’s blood test came back clear! She is not showing any signs of infection. We can breathe a sigh of relief … for now!

When we got home we measured and planned out the nursery and bought the remaining furniture we needed from IKEA. Online thankfully!

Can’t wait to start getting the room sorted and then bring our babies home!

Aunty Julie

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Jennie

8.8.2010

William, for the first time, is doing better than his sister. He is needing less oxygen and is tolerating full feeds well. His long line is out and his last cannula was taken out this morning. He is still having caffeine and some sodium in his milk. He will have an hour off CPAP today hopefully, to give his nose a rest.

Esther is still struggling with her breathing. She is desaturating to quite low levels and doing it quite a lot! It is because she loses the seal on her CPAP by having her mouth open all the time. The nurse today was brilliant, trying different things to improve the situation. She tried different sized prongs and a mask. The mask combined with a dummy has stopped Esther desaturating. She is more relaxed, her heart rate is down and she is breathing easier.

William managed one hour off CPAP today. He seems very relaxed and enjoyed having stories read to him by his Aunty Julie. Hugh came to see the babies too today. I am glad that he got to see them before they fly back to Oz. I have really enjoyed having Julie here and will miss her very much.

Esther is still really struggling, even with her new mask. Her desat levels were down in the 50s. The nurse said that the best thing for her is to be left alone as she is obviously exhausted and needs to sleep to get better. She will not be having any cuddles today.

I decided that the best place for me was home so that both babies could have complete peace and rest to get stronger and grow.

Phoned the hospital at 5.30pm and 10.30pm. Both babies are doing well. Esther was having a better night than last night. She came off CPAP for her cares. William had an hour off and seemed to be doing really well.

I really missed being with the babies today. I sorted out their clothes, muslins and blankets, and made a start on the baby washing.

It was nice to have some time with Julie too. I really wish that she was here to stay.