First time out on the balcony

Hello little one...

Today you woke up with a nice little scratch on your cheek - it looks like your nails are getting a little too long, but the nice paediatrician at the maternity hospital has said that they should not cut them for six weeks. We'll ask the nice pediatrician who will come tomorrow what he thinks about this.

Last night you were more restless than any other night - you had Mummy awake from 2.30 in the morning until 7 in the morning and you did not want to rest at all. mummy and Daddy started looking at their books because they do not want to give you the dummy yet, but they don't know what else they can do.



During the day Daddy tried to hold you in a way that Litsa the midwife showed him, with you lying on your tummy with your head near his elbow. It went very well and you were a lot calmer today. It lets you look ahead and see what you are doing and where you are going.


Daddy managed to do some work on one of the other websites he looks after: www.selas.org with you in his hands like this. This photo shows how he was holding you and typing everything with only his right hand. Mummy made him some toast and some coffee to keep him going. You fell asleep after a while. Another discovery today was that you like black and white music videos. We started out with you in this position watching the Kinks All day and All the Night, and you relaxed and fell asleep before Daddy could put on You Really Got Me.


In this video you have already fallen asleep! Later on that day Daddy played some Animals videos and some Doors videos. You preferred the Animals and Kinks.


Another good trick we tried was to put you in your sling. Here mummy is talking to a friend and you are in the sling. You are far more comfortable than you look and slept in there for hours today.

Mummy took you outside to the front balcony to see the Cinquecento when I came back from the chemists and later you came out with Daddy as well to look at the bats which were flying around the back garden. You probably couldn't tell that they were bats out the back, but I am sure one day you will know the families and species better than Daddy.

Daddy is going to work tomorrow for the first time. He's not looking forward to it too much because he will be leaving Mummy on her own. Tomorrow the nice paediatrician is coming so Daddy will only be away for half the day anyway.

Your second day of life...

So, Daddy arranged with his Sister, your Auntie Igor to come and visit so she could see you. It was Monday now and people were back at their jobs after the weekend, so there was not much movement in terms of visitors. Grandad P and Granny Y came to visit, but you were in your little room with the other babies so they sat and talked with Mummy and Daddy. Daddy showed them photographs of you and they liked them very much.

Litsa the midwife came to check on you and Mummy and it was really good to see her:


You have a little bit of Jaundice, but not so much that they won't be able to take you home on Wednesday.

Mummy and Daddy went to watch a funky Norwegian video about breastfeeding. Then the midwife showed them how to wash you. Daddy and Mummy think it is going to be very very tough to wash you, but we're going to try!

Auntie Igor came after lunch at a time when no-one was around so she had a chance to lift you up and play with you after you had fed:


She said you are really small but she couldn't stay long. Marianna came just after your afternoon meal, then great Uncle Fontas. both of them had a chance to see you before you were taken away for visiting time. Fontas came with your aunties Nafsikaa and Eirini and Great Aunt Irini who brought you gifts from your cousins in America. Maggie and Lefteris came and so did Panagiotis.

Daddy then went home when you fed the last time.

Good night little one.

Your birthday!

On Saturday 2 May, Daddy came to find Mummy at the maternity hospital. Mummy had woken up earlier and was with Litsa the midwife already in the birthing area, where all the babies are born. When daddy arrived, Litsa came to find him and dressed him in his special clothes for helping with the birth.

Then Daddy sat with Mummy and waited for the contractions to come to help push you out of Mummy's tummy where you had been waiting for so many months. It was nine thirty. After about one hour, Dr. G came to say good morning. He then examined mummy and said that things were moving on from the night before and broke mummy's waters - which weren't really mummy's waters at all, but your waters! After that, things got a little more regular and by the time daddy went for lunch and saw Granny M and Granny Y, mummy was well on the way to letting you out. After lunch when Daddy came back, he sat and talked with Dr. G, who game mummy an epidural to help things along. After the epidural, Dr. G and Litsa the midwife helped clear the route a little to bring you closer to the way out. By about five o'clock, it was all nearly over and daddy could see your black hair. It was time to move from the labour room where mothers get ready to bring their children into the world, into the birthing room where the final step is taken...

There, they put the rubber gloves on daddy and helped mummy push, while Dr. G got out the Japanese vacuum pump to suck you out!

Your head came out first, and then your hand raised like superman next to it! And then everyone could see why we had so much trouble with your coming, your umbilical cord was wrapped around your shoulder like a strange girdle - almost like the Cycladic guy in the museum.



Every time you tried to push on the cervix, you were being held back by the cord! Once you were out, they gave you to Daddy so he could cut the cord and then they washed you and got you all ready for your first public appearance.

You went out to the two grannies with daddy and the midwife. Then we went back to mummy and you tried to feed a little and we all sat together for some time until mummy and daddy went up to their room. You then went for checking and bloodtyping (you are A+) and were brought into mummy's room after nine o'clock.

Mummy then fed you again, and you saw Ismini and Granny M who had come to visit, before going to sleep.

Mummy and daddy were very happy to finally see you and see what you looked like.