Such a perfect day

After a rather early start, we're having a lovely lazy morning in bed. Little Audrey is fast asleep next to me in her rocket ship pjs, and we're looking forward to seeing Grandad Steve, Granny Mel and Aunty Holly this weekend.

In the mean time, here are some more photos of the cutest baby ever.

I love those tiny fingers and toes. She's so perfect!

Early Bird

I am such a morning person. I'm growing to really appreciate these early mornings with Audrey Bea, the quite her-and-me time before Ian and the rest of the world wake up. We sit in the nursery in my rocking chair, and the window is at such an angle as to catch just the right amount of early morning sunlight. Audrey is awake in a gentle, slow sort of way where she lies in my arms and just stares at me and the sunlight and the nursery for a while. We listen to quiet music and sometimes Audrey plays in the baby gym, we feed and we rock, until her dad wakes up and then it is bathtime and adventure time and getting dressed in perfect, tiny clothes time. Then we move downstairs and have breakfast and think about getting ready for our daily walk in the park.

But for now, it's the morning time, all quiet and fragile and wide eyed. It's wonderful.

14 days

We had our first visit from the health visitor today. It went well, she seems lovely! Audrey was quiet and sweet, as usual. The health visitor weighed her and found that she has regained her birth weight, plus some! This is really great. It's clear that she's getting plenty of good nutrition and growing and growing. I feel so good about breastfeeding now, it's been a bit of a struggle to get the latch right and to find a good position that doesn't hurt my incision from the c-section, but overall things seem to be working well.

Audrey has also started to push her head up in a kind of push-up way while she's lying on my chest and looks around. Strong girl! She makes lots of different little noises - squeaks and grunts and hum-type sounds. But she still sucks her thumb.

More pics

Some photos I took of Audrey recently:

She's so cute with her wee elbow patches!

She loves spending time with her dad in the sling. It's beautiful.

Hand knit socks! I made these bad boys. They're still a bit big and she kicked them off in no time, but still... so cute!

Audrey had a lovely first Easter yesterday. The three of us spent the day cuddled up on the sofa as a family, watching sci fi shows and eating chocolate eggs (no eggs for Audrey just yet!). It was really lovely, gentle paced and cosy.

Playing

Audrey has been looking around at things a lot more, so this morning we decided to try her out with the cool baby gym that our friend Gill gave us that once belonged to her little boy!

She really seemed to like it, and stared in absolute amazement at all the wee toys that made scrunchy or rattly noises. Her special favourite was the lion's mane, which scrunched like celophane. She kept trying to roll over to grab it and put it in her mouth!

I took a little bit of film footage of her being adorable and investigating:

10 Days

Ten days of Audrey Bea. Ten days she's been in the world.

Recent Exciting Events:

She met Nana Pat and Aunty Kate on Friday 22nd April

And on Saturday 23rd April we went out with them for our first proper outing. We went to Loopy Lorna's cafe and had tea in pots, hot chocolate, soup, cake, and all sorts of good things. Audrey slept all the way through, mostly on Aunty Kate and Ian, who wore her bunny ears hat when it fell off. Bunny ears are a good look on anyone, you know.

Before going out we had a bath, and Nana Pat and Aunty Kate helped to get Audrey nice and clean. Her skin has been peeling a little bit lately. Our midwife Angela says this is very normal, and that massaging the skin with a little oil can help, so we did some baby massage with a gentle baby oil before the bath. Audrey seemed to love this! She was good as gold.

Then we got her all dressed up snug and warm ready for our big adventure.

Beautiful alpaca booties from Nana Barbara!

Some Recent Firsts:

First poem was Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field. I read it to her today in a rare quietly-awake moment in the afternoon sunshine. Audrey was entranced by the beams of sunlight. It seemed like good poem time, and I couldn't think of a better first poem.

First trip in a taxi and first trip on the bus, going to and from Loopy Lorna's.

She's also making lots of cool new noises, coos and gurgles and squeaks. Her eyes are starting to focus on and follow things, and she makes eye contact with people. She's been sleeping beautifully, although last night she was awake a LOT wanting to be fed - we think it was the 10 day growth spurt that our midwife mentioned. She pushes her head up when she's lying on her front and looks around for a few seconds before dropping back down.

She's so perfect in every way. I still can't believe we made her. She's the best thing I've ever done.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe---
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
   Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
   The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we!"
                     Said Wynken,
                     Blynken,
                     And Nod. 

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
   That lived in that beautiful sea---
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish---
   Never afeard are we";
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
                     Wynken,
                     Blynken,
                     And Nod. 

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam---
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home;
'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed
   As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea---
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
                     Wynken,
                     Blynken,
                     And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea,
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
                     Wynken,
                     Blynken,
                     And Nod.