We're a family now!!

Sunday night, 8PM ... and I’ve got a free moment!! Those are rare these days, not because I’m so much busier, but because – unlike with work projects – I’m no longer the one in control of the schedule :).

Just to set the scene: I’m sitting on the couch in our living room with Leola finally asleep in her bassinet. We’ve got this amazing bassinet on wheels and since she’s not too keen to sleep in a cold dark bedroom, I usually wheel it into the living room in the evening.

Looking around the living room is a different experience as well these days. Our electrician, aptly named Ian the Electric Man, used to always say that our house looks like a “show home”, as if no one lives in it... Well, no longer! The couch I’m sitting on, is littered with a tiny little pink sweater, a feeding pillow, and a brand new dummy. On the floor is a new “play gym”, on the table more random baby items and the baby monitor, and just behind me the Maxi-Cosi is waiting for our next trip to the shops. Our house is a mess and I love it!

I just re-read our last post, just to remind myself where we’d left off... Wow! It was the 24th of April and I was 37 weeks pregnant then, and now, only 2 months later here we are, our lives having changed for ever. It’s still amazing to think that it’s no longer just Tim and me ... we are a family!

So much has happened and I won’t repeat the whole birth story as most of you will have read it on Leola’s blog (www.leolawigham.blogspot.com), but here’s just a quick review of the time leading up to her birth:

Tim came home on Thursday April 29, just 2 weeks before our due date. We were both very aware that these were our final days as a carefree couple, so we made the most of every day, going to Newlands to watch rugby the following day, and packing a whole bunch of movies and shopping trips into the days that followed. I officially stopped working on April 30th (in reality, I had to finish quite a few CLC projects, but at least the Exceed work officially ended on that date), so that took off some pressure and made those two weeks feel like a real holiday.

With Tim’s date to return to the rig set for 2 ½ weeks after our due date, I really wanted our little girl to arrive on time and had embarked on a whole series of “interventions” such as preggie yoga, Bowen therapy, reflexology, long walks uphill (even a slow jog), spicy meals ... and pretty much every other old wives’ tale that might be remotely helpful!! Despite all this, our due date came and went without anything happening ... we decided she was likely going to be 2 weeks late (like her mum).

So, we set off to Canal Walk for an evening of shopping and a super-hot curry on the following Tuesday (4 days after our due date. Well, the curry did the trick!! That evening (in the shopping centre), my waters broke and the countdown was officially on. As we were driving down the M3, Tim made a remark that really hit home with me: “this little girl will be the first real thing we have to leave behind when we die.” Everything else is just stuff, but this is a little human being, given to us to love and take care of. What an amazing (and scary) thought!

Leola was born the next day, Wed May 19th, just past 12PM. We had planned for a natural birth, but she had different plans and was simply not moving from her comfy place so after a long haul in the labour ward we ended up with an emergency c-section. It wasn’t what I had hoped for but at that point it didn’t matter ... she was out, she was healthy, and she was beautiful!!

Fast-forward to today...

We’ve now been parents for 5 weeks and 4 days, and our little girl is no longer so little (it just goes so fast!!) The first 12 days, while Tim was still home, were just amazing. We both couldn’t – and still can’t – believe we’re parents to such a beautiful, content baby. She made life so easy, fed well, slept 4 – 6 hours at night, and simply didn’t really cry. I was a bit sore from the c-section and a little sleep deprived, but we were so in love with our little girl that it didn’t matter. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to Tim at the airport after such a special time at home, and even harder for him to leave not just me, but his little baby behind, knowing she’d be so much bigger in a month’s time. The good news is that it’s now only 3 days until he comes home and I just can’t wait for him to see how our little girl has grown...

Luckily for me, Leola continues to make life very easy. She’s not quite as quiet and “polite” when she cries as she was in those first two weeks, but she still is an amazingly content baby and only fusses in the early evening from about 6 – 8PM when she’s very alert and awake and refuses to go to sleep even though she’s obviously super-tired! The only place she wants to be for those two hours is as close as possible to her mommy ... what an awesome feeling to be needed and wanted by such a little cuddly creature.

The past few weeks have flown by. It’s a whole new life, not necessarily busier than before but very different. I did a quick calculation the other day and realised that between feeding, nappy changing and bath time, that accounts for around 4 – 6 hours daily. Then there’s the hours spent just loving her and staring at her while she’s sleeping and before you know it half your day is gone! And all this is on her terms, not mine ... just when I plan to get some admin done or get stuck into a work project, it’s time to feed, time for a clean nappy, or simply time to be hugged and held.

Needless to say Gandalf is not impressed! He loves this new little addition to the family and tries to sniff her nappy and lick her poor little head at every opportunity, but he’s not too happy about his new status in the family. He used to be the object of my chit chat and affection and he’s highly offended that this is no longer the case and I even neglect to feed him on occasion (because I’m busy feeding Leola.) Poor boy! It’s made him quite insecure and he’s decided that the best solution is to follow me around the house every step of the way, just so I don’t forget he still exists. It’s all a bit tricky but I’m sure over time he’ll get used to our new routine. What is really amazing is that Leola’s arrival has resulted in him being even more protective than before. He seldom barks but his guarding instincts have become stronger and he’s more alert than before to strange sounds ... and more aggressive to strangers at the gate.

A funny story: a few weeks ago, the doorbell rang with someone trying to deliver flowers. I couldn’t answer as I was feeding so our domestic, Cynthia, went to the gate with Gandalf standing next to her barking. The delivery guy was terrified and pretty much dropped the flowers while yelling some nasty words to Cynthia to “f!^#-ing” control her dog. I didn’t appreciate his tone so I opened the gate to have a word with him. I didn’t close the gate properly and Gandalf, still barking, managed to get out ... the guy freaked out completely and pushed aside his flowers to hide behind them in the back of his bakkie. Needless to say I had to carry my own flowers to the house because he wasn’t going anywhere near Gandalf. I was quite upset with the way he spoke to Cynthia, but did have to laugh ... I’ve never seen anyone climb into the back of his own car that quickly!!

Back to the main feature...

Tim left on June 1st, but I wasn’t alone for long. The following Sunday (June 6th) my friend Marjan arrived from Holland to help out for two weeks.

Marjan has two kids herself who she had to leave behind for those two weeks, but her husband Hans had taken time off work to take the kids camping for two weeks (very brave!!) It was awesome having Marjan here. She’d come out with the intention of being there to help out in any way needed, but with Leola being such a little angel, there was lots of time for shopping, chatting, more shopping, walks, and a few touristy outings. And of course, we both got bitten by World Cup fever and watched most of the games, especially Bafana Bafana and Holland. The two weeks just flew by and when I dropped Marjan off this past Monday evening, she left with a suitcase filled with the proof of various successful shopping trips and a whole bunch of good memories. Marjan is also Leola’s godmother and it’s very special to know that our little girl will be a part of our continued friendship.

About the World Cup... like many people, we’d been worried, but hopeful, about South Africa’s ability to pull it off and host a successful event-free World Cup. Well, so far so good!! The atmosphere has been absolutely amazing, the vuvuzelas can be heard day and night in the suburbs (though less now that Bafana is out of the running), and the “gees” around the stadium area is absolutely amazing. This past Thursday was the Holland – Cameroon game. I didn’t have tickets, but it happened to be the same day that I had to go to the Dutch Embassy for a visa for Leola, and I also hoped to meet up with my sister Janet’s brother-in-law who was here from Holland to watch the game (and carrying gifts for Leola). The orange everywhere was just amazing!! The fan park at the Castle of Good Hope was just covered with people dressed in orange and the atmosphere was super-festive. Luckily the boys in orange did well!! Tim and I have tickets for the semi-final in Cape Town and I’m really hoping to watch the Dutch play. How amazing that would be!

I’ve just realised that this is by now becoming a very lengthy post, so I’d better wrap up shortly.

Just a quick note on Leola’s progress to date: we’ve found a great baby clinic where we take her on a weekly basis to follow her progress, ask any questions, and just be reassured that all is well. At the 1-month visit (1.5wks ago), Leola was measured and weighed and it was amazing to see the change in such a short time.

Her stats:

• Weight:
 - 3.85KG at birth
 - 4.68KG at 1 month

• Length:
 - 52cm at birth
 - 54.5cm at 1 month

• Head circumference:
  - 33 cm at birth
  - 37cm at 1 month

She also started smiling a few weeks ago and is more alert every day, able to hold up her head for short periods when on her tummy, and completely fascinated by her pink stuffed elephant that hangs above her change table. On that note, she’s received so many cards, gifts, best wishes, clothes and toys ... she’s a spoiled girl already!! She’ll also soon be a very well-travelled girl with our trip to the UK coming up soon (July 10 – 22). We’ll be travelling via Schiphol where she’ll briefly meet her Dutch cousins over lunch before we go on to Aberdeen for 5 days. From Aberdeen, we’ll be travelling to Cornwall for Brigid & Rob’s wedding and from there to Brighton and London to meet up with various friends and their little ones. Luckily her SA passport arrived in record time, her UK visa followed promptly and her Dutch visa is being processed as I write this (hopefully).

I’ve written a separate blog update on Leola’s blog so if you’d like to read more about her progress, have a look: http://www.leolawigham.blogspot.com/.

Time for bed before our little girl wakes up again.

Lots of love from Cape Town and Ghana.