Much Ado About Parenting: daddy

Showing posts with label daddy. Show all posts

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Keep Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

So, it has been an eventful couple of weeks for the little man in my life. Now I know Ethan was born 2 weeks overdue and that he was massive but he has surprised us all with his recent adventures. Namely rolling. Yes, rolling at 10 weeks old. We are not talking a full roll but the cheeky one can now go from back to tummy and tummy to back! Very proud Mum over here but also very scared Mum. Babies (this one at least) don't give much warning in their developmental changes and it seems they try new things all of a sudden, when you least expect it. Be prepared is all I can say!

Knackered from the rolling!

Ethan has also experienced his door bouncer for the first time which he enjoyed but did seem a little confused by! Mainly for the fact that he was standing upright without support!

The most challenging part of the whole thing was probably getting it attached to the door frame in the first place. It seems baby equipment really isn't built to be easy to make or set up at all. The pram/car seat/transformer is the worst, with its secret buttons and straps and parts it really is one of the biggest challenges of having a baby!

Woooooooooooooah!

Other than rolling and bouncing around our flat, Ethan has mostly been teething (a whole other story!), sporting a stunning range of outfits and chatting up girls at Mummy and baby meet ups! Being a baby really is incredibly hard work but very rewarding!

Happy in this awesome number!

Modelling my new H&M outfit!

Sunday, 23 September 2012

Lazy days, tattooing days and an impending birthday.

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As the rain pounds on the balcony doors of our bedroom I lay in bed listening to this combined with the breathing and snoring of my husband and son happy in slumber with a gentle undertone of country music in the background. It is a Sunday morning and life couldn't be better. It sounds predictable but here lies the formula for a happy life: family, music and home.

As I approach my 28th birthday tomorrow I realise it has taken me some time to reach the point where I am truly happy. Not drunk happy with false smiles, not plastic happy with forced hope, but happy. Smiling so the wrinkles show happy, wearing no make up and baggy PJ bottoms happy, really happy. I can credit this whole heartedly to my husband, who came out of nowhere and shook me into reality, our reality. If someone had told me that I would be sharing my 28th birthday with my 23 year old husband, who I sang Shania Twain to at our reception in a 50s diner while 16 weeks pregnant with our now 7 week old son I would have at least laughed out loud. Here I am though, laying in bed with the most straightforward happiness available; a wonderful husband and beautiful baby boy beside me. Nothing breeds smiles like days like these.

Just to clarify I am not knocking drunk happy. That can still be fun, even for a wrinkly Mummy like me!

I also sit here with a new tattoo to share. Yesterday as a birthday present we both went and had tattoos together. Charlie ended up having a disaster piece repaired, which we had created on a previous lazy Sunday pre-marriage, pre-pregnancy. I, however, am now the proud owner of a gorgeous pink and blue cupcake with 'Ethan' on the band. I am sure in years to come our son will find this highly embarassing and question what his arrival has to do with cakes! Mummy loves Ethan, Mummy loves cakes. Simple. While being tattooed yesterday the in laws looked after Ethan and he was perfectly behaved of course! This was the first time (other than an essential blood test) that I have been out without Ethan in tow and the first time me and Charlie have been out just the 2 of us since his birth. Some may find it strange but getting tattooed was the perfect way to spend this precious time as a couple. We have both always shared a love of tattoo art, Charlie is a tattoo artist himself and one of our first points of contact was when comparing ink. I can see more tattoo outings on the cards in the future.

My new tattoo by Darren at Thundertats, Leigh-on-Sea.

While being tattooed and chatting to the artist he said something which I have been thinking about since: 'a tattoo is the only thing you will take to your grave.' This may sound depressing but it made me reflect on our life and really consider how our family memories which will be tattooed on our hearts and sleeves are the only thing which matters. Do I care if we never afford to buy a house? Am I upset if we can't buy expensive clothes? Does material gain interest me? Not so much. I knew this all along but I think the impending birthday might be getting to me and making me realise that as I head closer to 30 I really haven't done too badly for myself!

Saturday, 11 August 2012

Ethan George Hadley

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Just a very quick one to say that, as you may have guessed by my silence, our Son was born at 6:38am Monday 6th August 2012, just 2 hours before we were due at the hospital to be induced at 13 days overdue! Ethan George Hadley was born at home, as planned in our bedroom and I somehow did it without any pain relief at all, even though he arrived weighing an epic 10 lbs 13oz!

Ethan is healthy, happy and totally perfect. The Hadley family are overjoyed he has arrived and so proud of him already. Daddy has been so amazing at looking after Mummy and Ethan and we are very lucky to have our extended family around us helping out.

One quick thing is that I cannot stress enough just how amazing giving birth at home is and how much I would suggest trying it if possible, as obviously each pregnancy is very different. The atmosphere was relaxed, even through the pain and difficulty of labour and once Ethan was born it was lovely to have him bought straight to me in our own bed and home with everything here. I love that the first place he experienced was his home.

More at some point soon; expect home birth, bigger babies and the thoughts and feelings of a new Mummy!