BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russian mother has 'giant' baby
Just for comparison, Lucy is a healthy baby and still weighs less than 10 pounds at 6 weeks old.
Testing Diatomaceous Earth on Martians
2 years ago
Thursday, September 27, 2007
BBC NEWS | Health | Doctors told take young seriously
BBC NEWS | Health | Doctors told take young seriously:
"Doctors must do more to respect the wishes and views of young patients, the General Medical Council has warned."
Does this mean that they must make an immediate beeline for the Patientline display when Oliver tells them "I ready watch Thomas on telly now".
"Doctors must do more to respect the wishes and views of young patients, the General Medical Council has warned."
Does this mean that they must make an immediate beeline for the Patientline display when Oliver tells them "I ready watch Thomas on telly now".
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
At the top of his voice
At Green Lane playgroup today Oliver put in a memorable performance when it came to song-time. Hayley assures me that not only did he do all the actions to songs, but he also sang louder than anyone else in the room.
I've noticed that occasionally his performance will involve singing only the last word of each line but shouting it at the top of his voice. And the other day he sang "Wheels On The Bus" in a drawling style that was a sort of cross between John Cooper Clarke doing "Beesley Street" and Sid Vicious doing his live cover of "I wanna be your dog". (What do you mean you've never heard it? It's a classic!)
And all this despite the fact that Hayley opted for the sounds of Buddhist chants during her labour with Oliver and not the sound of The Sex Pistols first album as her friend Bev did.
I've noticed that occasionally his performance will involve singing only the last word of each line but shouting it at the top of his voice. And the other day he sang "Wheels On The Bus" in a drawling style that was a sort of cross between John Cooper Clarke doing "Beesley Street" and Sid Vicious doing his live cover of "I wanna be your dog". (What do you mean you've never heard it? It's a classic!)
And all this despite the fact that Hayley opted for the sounds of Buddhist chants during her labour with Oliver and not the sound of The Sex Pistols first album as her friend Bev did.
BBC NEWS | Health | New NHS guidelines on childbirth
BBC NEWS | Health | New NHS guidelines on childbirth
Good guidelines, but will the government really stump up the cash for this sort of service?
Good guidelines, but will the government really stump up the cash for this sort of service?
BBC NEWS | Health | Allergy epidemic gets 'poor care'
BBC NEWS | Health | Allergy epidemic gets 'poor care'
Interesting reading, given that Hayley suffers badly from hay fever and Oliver had an allergic reaction to eggs as a baby (which he now seems to be over).
Oliver is now two years old and he has never eaten peanuts. Now we discover experts are divided over whether this is the right thing to do or precisely the opposite!
Interesting reading, given that Hayley suffers badly from hay fever and Oliver had an allergic reaction to eggs as a baby (which he now seems to be over).
Oliver is now two years old and he has never eaten peanuts. Now we discover experts are divided over whether this is the right thing to do or precisely the opposite!
BBC NEWS | Health | Heavy exercise miscarriage link
BBC NEWS | Health | Heavy exercise miscarriage link
Is this really news? I thought everyone knew this. It's almost common sense.
Is this really news? I thought everyone knew this. It's almost common sense.
Welcome to the Terrible Twos
The other day Hayley had her first classic encounter with the sort of scene we've all scene other parents suffer at some time: a public tantrum.
She was walking to the shop round the corner from our house with Oliver walking alongside as she pushed Lucy in the buggy. Oliver was whinging, pleading to go and sit in the car and listen to nursery rhymes. This was not really practical given that we were short on provisions including a total lack of bread and milk.
She was negotiating the busy crossroads in the middle of Heaton Moor using the pelican crossing when Oliver sat down in the middle of the road, crying, refusing to go on and shouting "in car, in car"! She had to lift him up off his bottom and pull him across the road. I'm glad to say he at least had the good sense to walk at this point and didn't have to be dragged as I first pictured when Hayley recounted this story to me.
I can't confirm precisely how many people tutted and peered down their nose at this scene. Doubtless there will have been a few.
She was walking to the shop round the corner from our house with Oliver walking alongside as she pushed Lucy in the buggy. Oliver was whinging, pleading to go and sit in the car and listen to nursery rhymes. This was not really practical given that we were short on provisions including a total lack of bread and milk.
She was negotiating the busy crossroads in the middle of Heaton Moor using the pelican crossing when Oliver sat down in the middle of the road, crying, refusing to go on and shouting "in car, in car"! She had to lift him up off his bottom and pull him across the road. I'm glad to say he at least had the good sense to walk at this point and didn't have to be dragged as I first pictured when Hayley recounted this story to me.
I can't confirm precisely how many people tutted and peered down their nose at this scene. Doubtless there will have been a few.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
9 pounds 11 ounces
Lucy was weighed at the clinic today. At 5 weeks and 6 days old, she is now 9 lbs 11 ozs.
She also showed distinct signs of giving us a smile. We didn't catch it on camera but Hayley has been saying for a few days that she is smiling. It was a kind of fleeting smile. I'm hoping we can catch the first big grin, as Hayley did with Oliver.
She also showed distinct signs of giving us a smile. We didn't catch it on camera but Hayley has been saying for a few days that she is smiling. It was a kind of fleeting smile. I'm hoping we can catch the first big grin, as Hayley did with Oliver.
The mystery of the sponge
Oliver seems to be keen on questions at the moment. "Who's that?!" is a popular one. Also "who's at the door?", whether there's anyone there or not. (Well, I don't THINK there was anyone, but there's often more logic to what he says than I can immediately grasp.)
Recently, while enjoying his evening bath, he found another question: "where's the sponge?" He had hidden it under his legs, quite effectively in fact.
"Where is it?" I asked him.
"Over there!" he replied, pointing behind himself to the top end of the bath.
I duly searched beneath the bubbles. "I can't find it."
"Over there!" he directed to the other end of the bath. I duly searched again. At which point... voila! He let the sponge float up from its hiding place, emitting a loud and satisfied chuckle as he did.
Then we started again.
"Where is it?"
"Over there!"
"I can't find it."
"Over there... Ha ha ha ha!"
And again.
"Where is it?"
"Over there!"
"I can't find it."
"Over there... Ha ha ha ha!"
And again and again and again. It just never got less funny for the little man. He didn't even need the pretence of surprise. "One more time..." he said after I failed to notice the sponge's umpteenth disappearance. How could I say no.
Recently, while enjoying his evening bath, he found another question: "where's the sponge?" He had hidden it under his legs, quite effectively in fact.
"Where is it?" I asked him.
"Over there!" he replied, pointing behind himself to the top end of the bath.
I duly searched beneath the bubbles. "I can't find it."
"Over there!" he directed to the other end of the bath. I duly searched again. At which point... voila! He let the sponge float up from its hiding place, emitting a loud and satisfied chuckle as he did.
Then we started again.
"Where is it?"
"Over there!"
"I can't find it."
"Over there... Ha ha ha ha!"
And again.
"Where is it?"
"Over there!"
"I can't find it."
"Over there... Ha ha ha ha!"
And again and again and again. It just never got less funny for the little man. He didn't even need the pretence of surprise. "One more time..." he said after I failed to notice the sponge's umpteenth disappearance. How could I say no.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Gratuitous anecdote
I have no excuse for publishing the following story which a colleague told me, other than I know it will nake Hayley laugh.
Our Gents toilets don't have a light switch, they have a sensor on the wall where the light switch should be. When it detects movement the light comes on. After a while the light goes off.
Unfortunately the sensor can't "see" the movement of someone who is in one of the cubicles. This means that once you enter a cubicle, the countdown begins to the lights going out.
The other day my colleague entered the Gents which was in darkness. As the lights came on, he was confronted by the sight of a man with his trousers round his ankles, leaning out of the cubicle waving his hand in the air, trying to get the sensor to see him.
And this in an engineering company.
Our Gents toilets don't have a light switch, they have a sensor on the wall where the light switch should be. When it detects movement the light comes on. After a while the light goes off.
Unfortunately the sensor can't "see" the movement of someone who is in one of the cubicles. This means that once you enter a cubicle, the countdown begins to the lights going out.
The other day my colleague entered the Gents which was in darkness. As the lights came on, he was confronted by the sight of a man with his trousers round his ankles, leaning out of the cubicle waving his hand in the air, trying to get the sensor to see him.
And this in an engineering company.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Personality Test
Recently, Dan over at All That Comes With It posted a quiz allowing the reader to assess which member of his family they resembled the most and hence where they'd fit in his family.
This set me thinking about the characteristics of my own family. But I quickly realised that fitting in with me or Hayley is less important than fitting in with the little man's peers. So I wrote my own very short questionairre to help you work out where you'd fit into the Heaton Moor toddler social hierarchy.
Question 1: You are at a friend's 2nd birthday party. The first thing you do is...
a) head into the garden and play with the plastic golf clubs, chipping neatly out of the sandpit with your first shot and going on to break the course record for the garden.
b) nothing that would draw attention to yourself. Then when no-one is looking you steal a chocolate biscuit from the table. You repeat at intervals until caught.
c) smile adorably at Oliver, who (sadly) ignores you.
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
Question 2: Your parents make you leave the party earlier than you'd like. On the way out you...
a) make a dart for the table and then do laps of it, out-pacing your Mum and evading capture for several minutes
b) assert your independence by addressing your father by his Christian name instead of "Daddy"
c) cry because you are being parted from Oliver
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
Question 3: Oliver has come to visit you for a play-date. Eager to impress, you...
a) jump two-footed into the air and chuckle madly
b) count up to 20 unaided
c) play nicely, sharing your toys and entertaining your guest
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
So how did you fair?!
Mostly a). You are Jack. Your Dad is a sports coach. You will win Gold in the Decathlon at the 2032 Olympic games.
Mostly b). You are Isabella. You are a child genius with a criminal streak. You have a bright career in internet banking fraud ahead of you.
Mostly c). You are Isabel. You are pretty, well-mannered and you don't know it yet but you are Oliver's future wife (if his Dad has anything to do with it).
Mostly d). You are Niamh. Your ASBO is due to come into force any day now.
This set me thinking about the characteristics of my own family. But I quickly realised that fitting in with me or Hayley is less important than fitting in with the little man's peers. So I wrote my own very short questionairre to help you work out where you'd fit into the Heaton Moor toddler social hierarchy.
Question 1: You are at a friend's 2nd birthday party. The first thing you do is...
a) head into the garden and play with the plastic golf clubs, chipping neatly out of the sandpit with your first shot and going on to break the course record for the garden.
b) nothing that would draw attention to yourself. Then when no-one is looking you steal a chocolate biscuit from the table. You repeat at intervals until caught.
c) smile adorably at Oliver, who (sadly) ignores you.
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
Question 2: Your parents make you leave the party earlier than you'd like. On the way out you...
a) make a dart for the table and then do laps of it, out-pacing your Mum and evading capture for several minutes
b) assert your independence by addressing your father by his Christian name instead of "Daddy"
c) cry because you are being parted from Oliver
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
Question 3: Oliver has come to visit you for a play-date. Eager to impress, you...
a) jump two-footed into the air and chuckle madly
b) count up to 20 unaided
c) play nicely, sharing your toys and entertaining your guest
d) find a heavy object and hit Oliver over the head with it.
So how did you fair?!
Mostly a). You are Jack. Your Dad is a sports coach. You will win Gold in the Decathlon at the 2032 Olympic games.
Mostly b). You are Isabella. You are a child genius with a criminal streak. You have a bright career in internet banking fraud ahead of you.
Mostly c). You are Isabel. You are pretty, well-mannered and you don't know it yet but you are Oliver's future wife (if his Dad has anything to do with it).
Mostly d). You are Niamh. Your ASBO is due to come into force any day now.
I ready...
When Oliver wants to do something he doesn't say "I want..." he says "I ready...".
Yesterday, having been in Wiltshire with his sister and Mummy for three days, he told her "I ready go home now, see Daddy".
Bless the little man. I miss him too.
Yesterday, having been in Wiltshire with his sister and Mummy for three days, he told her "I ready go home now, see Daddy".
Bless the little man. I miss him too.
Monday, September 17, 2007
2 Dr Brown Bottles, standing on the wall...
After Thursday's night from hell, Hayley and I steeled ourselves for another bad night. Of course, in the event, Oliver barely murmured and Lucy slept from 10pm until 5.30am!
So feeling refreshed on Saturday morning, Hayley decided to head off down to Wiltshire to introduce Lucy to her side of the family a couple of days earlier than planned. Apparently Oliver has been a little diamond while down there, well-behaved and charming to everyone. And Lucy has even slept reasonably well.
While down there Hayley has started to introduce an extra bottle in place of one breast feed (taking her up to two bottle feeds per day). The relentlessness of Lucy's appetite, needing to feed frequently throughout the day, is taking a bit of a toll on Hayley now. She copes well, but she feels Oliver is perhaps not getting as much attention as he should. Lucy has already had far more breastmilk than Oliver ever got, so it's a balancing act, making sure we do what is right for the whole family.
Talking of bottles, we have now tried 3 types of bottle with Lucy: Nuk, Tommy Tippee and now Dr Browns. This is because she does seem to suffer more with wind than Oliver did and perhaps colic. The Dr Brown bottles should help, as does a dose of Infacol with each bottle feed.
Oliver in contrast only ever needed Avent bottles. Dare I suggest boys are less fussy than girls? No, I thought not!
So feeling refreshed on Saturday morning, Hayley decided to head off down to Wiltshire to introduce Lucy to her side of the family a couple of days earlier than planned. Apparently Oliver has been a little diamond while down there, well-behaved and charming to everyone. And Lucy has even slept reasonably well.
While down there Hayley has started to introduce an extra bottle in place of one breast feed (taking her up to two bottle feeds per day). The relentlessness of Lucy's appetite, needing to feed frequently throughout the day, is taking a bit of a toll on Hayley now. She copes well, but she feels Oliver is perhaps not getting as much attention as he should. Lucy has already had far more breastmilk than Oliver ever got, so it's a balancing act, making sure we do what is right for the whole family.
Talking of bottles, we have now tried 3 types of bottle with Lucy: Nuk, Tommy Tippee and now Dr Browns. This is because she does seem to suffer more with wind than Oliver did and perhaps colic. The Dr Brown bottles should help, as does a dose of Infacol with each bottle feed.
Oliver in contrast only ever needed Avent bottles. Dare I suggest boys are less fussy than girls? No, I thought not!
Friday, September 14, 2007
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