The new rolling ILX parenting thread, since the other one was getting unwieldy

Don't worry about it, I've had a really enjoyable day today! I was feeling really impatient early on in the week but you're right, I should be making sure I make the most of this me time cos it'll be a long time before I get any again!

Wish I could spend all my time asleep though! I'm just too uncomfortable, waking up in the middle of the night and not getting back to sleep and not being able to sleep in, it's as though my body is already preparing me for those night feeds and nappy changes!

Seriously. When I was in that last month and people would say to me "get plenty of sleep while you can!!" i'd want to punch them. have these people ever been 8-9 months pregnant? sleep=impossible.

i wonder if vicky has a babee yet?

Yes, you're right, I wanted to punch them in the face as well. The last weeks I didn't sleep for hours in the night time. Being pregnant a second time, I do still want to punch people in the face, but I also do sleep a lot more. Well, I try to anyway. I mean, I know what I'm in for. Which freaks me out a little - knowing I'll have two kids to take care of - but also I know there's a light at hte end of the tunnel. ;-)

I've been thinking about Vicky a lot, I'm pretty sure she's in the hospital! YAY!

Hey everyone, it's Pam here, wife of Mike and mum of Ava + Lulu. I'm posting under the husbeau's login since I don't have my own yet, but I've been lurking for a while and loving all of the pics of your gorgeous nippers, I've been meaning to contribute for ages. So I thought a fine way to say hello while I'm waiting for my own login from the moderators would be as the bearer of fabulous news about the arrival of Vicky and Chris's squirrel!

Aidan Paisley Brown was born at 12:20 this morning, weighing in at 8lbs 6oz, hurrah! They aren't home from the hospital yet and Chris has just sent me a picture from his phone which I can't seem to open. I'll post it soon if I can make it work!

xopam

Hurrah! Happiness to all! Welcome to Aidan and to Pam as well, as it were. :-D

awwww...aidan!! yay!

welcome, pam! your babies are absolutely beautiful.

CRESCENT MOON

Woohooo!!! Silly me is crying a bit!! :-D

She's leaving the hospital so soon???

... and a few days before her birthday!!! What a PRESENT!

Welcome to the world, Aidan! xxx

Congratulations on New Baby Aidan! Yay!

Congratulations Vicky and Chris and welcome Aidan! Ooh this is so exciting :)

Yay! Welcome Aidan! Look forward to seeing pics...

Hello everyone, I'll post a 3 minute old photo below... Vic and Aidan are still in the hospital, he's got a suspected chest infection (some fluid on the lungs)but in himself is absolutely fine, as is Vic (a little sore though). The doctors seem to be playing better safe than sorry though, we're waiting for tests to come back tomorrow, if they're ok, Vic gets a wonderful birthday present and they come home for cake, if not, they're in til Friday and the party moves to the hospital :(...

so, I'm just talking to vic now and we've been completely under-informed by the doctors (they didn't come and see us at all today which we saw as a good sign) and a 5 day stay is compulsory in such casses and they're not coming home til Friday, always nice to be told isn't it?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1165/1022231539_931838225a.jpg
3 minutes old

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1058/1022237317_8ff9b7f81a.jpg
rocking out after 24 hrs

boo to having to stay in hospital yay to everything else!

haha i know it is silly to be excited by this but omg aidan looks totally like chris and vicky

Poor little lamb's just done his first projectile vomit, too! I'm liking this parenting lark, but would really prefer it at home... Am completely flouting hospital rules and posting from my mobile!

happy birthday vicky!

Congrats to the whole fambly!

yay! congrats!

and happy birthday!

Yay! Shout at the Devil! Congrats...

What a wonderful birthday present Vic, Aidan is just gorgeous! Sorry yor're still in hospital but hope you get some cake and presents in bed!

Vicky how are you holding up? Can you walk around? How was the delivery? TELL US ALL!

I didn't realize you can return home so soon in some countries. Well, I did but it always surprises me. We have to stay at least 5 nights, if I remember well, if you delivered "au naturel" (and more if it's a caesarian). In my case I doubt I could have returned before that as I had lost a ton of blood. :-( Anyway enough about me, Vicky those pics are so lovely and I am dying to hear about how it all went!

Wow, where do they keep you in 5 nights!? Sounds rough for all concerned. For child no.2 we were in and out in about 6 hours which was fantastic and kind of made up for child no.1 (36 hours labour, caesarian, couple days on hospital = aarrrgghhhh!)

Anyways congrats to all concerned - ILX babies rule!

In Belgium. It's actually five days. I can't remember, I was too out of it at the time to count the days. :-) I do remember they counted the night of the delivery (and, prior to that, the labour) as a "night over" so I stayed one night/day less than others. Apparently you can go back home immediately after delivery and checkup, but I'm not sure if it's that common. It's most of the time a "special request" (or however you'd call it). So you can, but usually mother and child stay longer. If you had a caesarian, then you really do need to stay a bit longer as it's a riskier procedure.

I don't know if I'd liked to have gone home that quick. When I left the hospital, I remember being a little bit freaked out by it as I realized that I was no longer "protected" (no nurses etc) and I was on my own (so I felt).

I stayed in four nights with Alice (not including the night I was in labour). That was because her birth weight was a bit low. I hated it but hospitals err on the side of caution I suppose, and on balance I'm glad they do!

I know what you mean (even with the big pack of goodies we got from the hospital - nappies and such like - it was still 'how do these babies work exactly?) but I think Mrs T was keen to get home after memories of the first time. It wasn't that the hospital was bad or anything, both times everyone was just great, it's just your own bed, your own food, hubby there to wait on you!

Happy birthday!

What a handsome chap!

I came home after one night in hospital, and was glad of it. But did phone the midwives about 10 times a day for the next week. It's changed a lot though, when my mum had kids you stayed in for 10 days!

Happy Birthday to Vicky! I can attest to the fact that she got the bestest ever living pressie a couple of days early, we trucked on over to the hospital to meet the babe this afternoon and lemme tell you, he is gorgeous.

Ava and Lulu were denied entry, being non-siblings and also walking/crawling towers o' germs but Chris took them on an ice cream errand so I could sit a spell with the birthday gal and young Aidan.

Vicky looked great, she was up and about and wearing real clothes! I was only in the hospital for one night after both Ava and Lulu were born but with Ava, I don't think I was out of pyjamas for a good three weeks after I got home!

Aidan is just gorgeous. Happy Birthday, V!

Wow, what a great looking baby Aidan is!

I'm completely amazed by the long-seeming hospital stays; it's pretty much 48 hours in the US, unless you have a C-section. I lost a ton of blood with baby # 2 and they still sent me home after 48 hours. Baby #1 was a preemie and had a 21 day hospital stay; I was discharged after 48 hours.

I didn't enjoy staying in the hospital, but do think that in the cases with extreme blood loss that the insurance companies here are a bit too in control...

everyone's home :)

Toffee and Rhubarb (the cats) are a little discombobulated by the new arrival.

He's a very handsome boy (yes yes, it's my job to say that)

Mayday Hospital though - what a farce.

Yeeps re: hospital but glad to hear all is well otherwise -- so the cats can't decide if he's another cat or not?

porkpie the head of the complaints dept is one of my best friends!

Really Mark? they must be fucking busy. The communication there is appalling. We were told that we could go home at 4.45...... we left at 11.45!! Got our prescription with no paperwork, oh, loads of things, but at leastthey're both home and settling down for the night :)

Congrats!

And just to spread around some good news further, veteran ILXors Mr. Noodles and Kim (who posted above a bit!) are as of a couple of days ago now the proud parents of Julia, who doubtless is a sweetie.

congrats! and welcome julia!

Awesome! Julia is a beautiful name. I may be a bit biased toward it since my daughter is also a Julia. Mine will be 5 this week.... I think having a Julia in August is definitely a good omen. Hooray and congratulations!

I love how my daughter likes to do more "advanced" things with others. It's not uncommon, I know, but it cracks me up to no end. First thing she did (with my mom) and not with us: walk on her own. Now it seems she has been going up the stairs at the crèche on her own for a while now. With us she always wanted us to hold her hands so she could just lean back and let us do most of the work.

Sadly she doesn't reserve the tantrums for others, just for us. hahahaha

Welcome Julia! Congrats Mr Noodles and Kim!

aww..happy birthday, Julia.

photo time!

beeps standing:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2712/beatsstandingqf1.jpg

beeps and mordecai:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4563/beatsandmordecaimq4.jpg

OMG soooooooooo cuuuuuttteee! That overall (?) is also very cute. How old is Beeps now? Cause it seemed like Beeps was born yesterday and now already stands!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/1101563203_ad5b85693d.jpg

I'm prepping Ophelia for ILX. Srsly, she's listening to the Miffy (Nijntje) song here.

Beeps is a little over 5 months old now. It has gone fast. Im so ready for baby two and crazy jealous of every pregnant woman i see. that includes you!

ophelia seems to have gone from baby to little girl overnight! her hair is so gorgeous.

Those girls are WAY adorable!

Hey, thanks guys. =) Here she is, ILXOR 2.0, baby Julia - born Wednesday Aug 08 at 4:57pm weighing 6lbs 9oz

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/grimstitch/Julia0052.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/grimstitch/Julia0001.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/grimstitch/Julia0054.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/grimstitch/Julia0056.jpg

Is that daddy in the bed? :-)

Beeps is 5 months and wants to stand up? Woha! Talk about advanced. Well, from my point of view. then again it's all a blur really. Thank god my mom wrote everything down, cause if I would go on my memory I'd think she has only started walking last week. Just kidding of course.

Congratulations! Those eyes, they're fantastic! hope you're recovering well

Looks like she has your eyes, Kim - what a beauty! Congratulations to all of you!

She's gorgeous! Congratulations again.