First Day Back At Work

Well, you would think that now I'm back at work I would miss out on blogging because Emma's not around because she's at home and I'm at work! Hah, you poor deluded fools, how little you know my power to ramble!!! So let me un-inform you of how my day has progressed so far. Do you know what it's like to go to the toilet by yourselves? Not to be disturbed or asked questions? Do you know what it's like to eat your lunch without somebody else's hands in it? And do you know what it's like to be in front of the computer and not have a twin in your lap or a baby in your arms?

And yet despite all this I miss them. I wonder how Lill's coping? Perhaps I should go home a little early tonight...

ODD SPOT: In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping, eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.

Scorched Nappy

I'd like to say it's a quiet lazy Sunday, especially the day before I go back to work, but it's not to be! My brother and his family are coming over because they'll be in America when the twins have their birthday next weekend. There's some shopping and some chores to do. And blogging, of course!!!

Drew is over as well. He's too busy shooting and blamming away on the other computer. It's his approach to everything, you know. Work, play, love.

Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a blog on Emma! She managed to wet through everything this morning. Oh well, first time for everything. I tell you, some of those wees and poos have some serious projectile tactics happening with them. She's already targeted and hit Lill. Me, I've managed to catch them in her nappy so far. But she's a sneaky thing. Have I told you she's taken after Lill...

ODD SPOT: You're most likely to be a target for mosquitos if you consume bananas.

Cheesecake

Emma's really stretching the triple zero outfits now, her body is finally catching up with her head. Her eyes are getting darker, and are not retaining the blue as Sarah's and Jessica's eyes did. I'm predicting they'll be brown like her parents...

People still can't decide who Emma looks like, Lill or me. For that matter, neither can I! I guess I'll have to wait it out a bit until her face forms a little more. But she sure has a lot of hair and it'll certainly be as long and luxurious as the twins.

Lill is still chuckling and not saying where the odd spots are coming from. Chances are I really don't want to know, either. But they certainly are bizarre!!!

I just put this blog through a spell checker and it tried to replace Jessica with Cheesecake! Oh the irony! My favourite cake, second only to Caramel mudcakes, and I've sworn off sweets while I diet...sorry, lack of sugar and other nice food groups has made me a little obsessive...twitch! twitch!...anyway, enough of this! If you want bizarre, read the odd spot!!!

ODD SPOT: Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

Odd Spot

Emma had her first chuck last night. Nothing serious, and only a little bit, and straight after, she wanted more milk again. I don't think it's the start of a bulimic trend, but if she starts asking me if her nappy makes her bum look fat then I should start to worry!

Lill handed me a list of odd spots which are quite bizzare and she refuses to tell me where they came from. She had this mad glint in her eye and said that maybe these would help break up the blog a bit with weird trivia. So I'll add one in a day until they run out.

ODD SPOT: From the age of 30, humans gradually begin to shrink!

Dorothy the Dinosaur Show

The Dorothy the Dinosaur Show was a hit with the twins, of course. Emma slept through it all in my arms. This was the first time I'd ever seen so many mums and kids packed together under one roof chanting and raving in a cult-driven frenzy. And there were very few precious dads in the audience. We each seeked each other out, and signaled in acknowledgement our common situation, and bent our heads in preperation for the next hour or so ahead. I haven't seen this many digital cameras in the one place since I walked into Ted's Camera store. The flashing that ensued reminded me of a poorly decorated nightclub without the techno music. All of the characters were on stage, and I must say Dorothy looked like a country bumpkin in her outfit. By the end the twins were chanting more, more, as if I could pull out a remote and make the whole thing play again by pressing a button. Ah, the boon and the burden of videos and DVDs. Despite the sombre picture I've painted here, it was good fun and the girls were quite happy with their outing. But I still need my extra big mug of brewed tea to recover....!

New Photo

As you can see, I've added a new photo for the blog. Emma's come quite a way these last couple of weeks, so an updated photo was prudent! The picture was taken at home, in the room I call The Library, with the L-Z bookcase in the background. We had to take a few shots, because while Emma behaved quite well in front of a camera, I on the other hand am not comfortable in front of a camera. We settled on this one because Emma and I both look cheeky here!

Emma seems to have changed her arsenic hours. It seems that she would rather stay up and whinge and cry during the day for a few hours. That's not so bad. It means that at night she feeds roughly every 5 hours. For Lill that's bliss!!!

The twins are sleeping at their grandparents again tonight. This will make it the first time they have been away from us more than one day. And the twins insisted on staying another night, too. I suspect their Aunty Alison is spoiling them rotten and want more of the same! We'll pick them up tomorrow morning on our way to Epping. The twins are being treated to a Dorothy the Dinosaur Show. Sigh! This week is almost up and I'll be back at work next week. It's not so much a case of if Lill will cope, but if I will cope!!! :)

All Smiles

Emma smiled. No, really! I know the difference between a bowel-driven grimace and a smile. This was definitely a smile, the kind that people have that touches their eyes. Emma's field of vision has also increased, so she's receiving a lot more visual stimuli. Hence the smiling, and also she's restless today. Can't sleep. So we've got to keep an eye on those tired signs and put her to bed as soon as we see them. Never mind what the books say. You'll read babies can't see until six weeks or that they don't start smiling for a few weeks. Books that lock in such milestones are utter rubbish! Each baby is different. They'll reach the milestones in their own time. Books at best only offer a guide and what to look for if and when they happen.

The other thing of note was one of the twins, Jessica. We just bought a digital camcorder so that we could capture baby things and twin things. We shouldn't have bothered, because Jessica mimics everything! Today, she sat on the couch with one of her dolls, propped a pillow accross her lap, raised her top, and placed the doll against her breast! The funniest thing!

The twins will stay with Lill's parents tonight, so we can have a little respite! Once I give Emma a bath and put we put her to bed, Lill and I may indulge in a little TV or DVD....!

Date with destiny

Ah, I feel a meandering coming on! It’s late, everyone’s asleep, and this’ll be my third blog today…I’m on a roll! It’s time to reminisce. In two weeks time the twins will turn three. And yet, I can remember them being Emma’s age now, so small…You know, back when the twins were born, some people assumed that since we had an instant family, we wouldn’t have anymore kids. And, well, admittedly, for the first year, you’re kinda busy to think about it. But not have anymore kids…?? To tell you the honest truth I don’t know how many kids we’ll have. I know some people plan a certain number: two, three, etc.. but really, remember those curveballs I mentioned earlier? Kids aren’t the only ones that throw them. Life does too. I can plan all I like, but take your pick, God or destiny, they have plans too. Maybe I should have my people talk to their people...

I admit it was comfortably busy with two. It will be comfortably hectic with three. Anymore? Well, we’re not thinking about it right now. Too busy. Ask us again next year! :)

World is like a canvas...

Just had a drawing session with the twins. We were colouring in pictures of the Wiggles. I was given instructions and dictated as to how I should draw. Goodness my girls are bossy! They definitely get it from their mum! I hope Emma is a little more like me when it comes to temperament...Otherwise I'm going to have to build a secret underground lair just underneath the shed, complete with 107 inch widescreen plasma TV, star trek armchair, X-Box and fridge....ahhh, a librarian can dream, can't he!!??

Glorious milk!

Emma's head is definitely getting bigger. Oh, the rest of her body is filling out too, but that head...her hair looks shorter now, and she seems to be growing into that nose...for the moment! Something about that breast milk! Personally, I can't see the attraction in it - Lill tricked me into tasting it! No details sorry, not if I want to wake up the next morning and find myself dead, but there you have it! It's the first breast milk I've had since I was a baby!

Looks like this blog will have to be cut short. The twins have woken up from their afternoon nap and are asking for, nay demanding, to watch Swan Lake Barbie. And goodness, I've been asked by them to come watch it with them....for the fourteenth time!!! If there is a God, then set the laser beam on the DVD player from play to stun and shoot me now!!!

Curveballs

Emma was quite restless between 9am and noon today. She refused to sleep and we weren't sure why. We were trying to maintain the pattern we've established in the last week but to no avail. Finally, Lill gave her a feed and lo and behold she was guzzling milk like there was no tomorrow. She milked the bowsers dry! Then she fell asleep. We had to wake her when it got well past 5pm! Just goes to show, for all the patterns you try and establish, babies can sometimes throw you a curveball. The twins themselves can still be unpredictable when it comes to eating and sleeping, and they're three years old. I know Emma's still very little, but trust me, when you have three children in the family, patterns and rhythms are mucho important. It helps keep the chaos at bay. It gives you the few hours of peace that can ensue to keep you sane. Lill and I had a few years of marriage as a couple before we became parents, so adjusting to the chaotic world of children and parenting took some getting used to...but we did it with all our heart and soul, and with every breath we take. And why not, it's what we've wished for, and was blessed with. So throw your curveballs, Sarah, Jessica, and Emma. That's what we're here for: to catch them!

Guns and Roses

Our next door neighbour visited with their 3 week old baby Julian today. When they left Lill said to baby Emma (in jest, I hope), "Hey Emma, there goes your boyfriend.." Brrrrrrrrrr, that sent chills down my spine. The idea that Emma, and indeed the twins, will have to associate with.....boys! Goddam it, time I invested in a shooters licence. No, never mind, just get me a shotgun!!!

I guess every dad goes through this. I have to believe that in the coming years I will instill in my girls all the life skills they'll need to have healthy relationships with the opposite sex and believe that they will do the right thing by us as well as themselves. But for now, let me just enjoy their innocence, for a little while...they'll grow up soon enough! And hopefully guns will be a lot more smarter and sophisticated by then!!!

Subluxations!

Emma received a chiropractic treatment yesterday. This was her second outing so far. It seems she was "subluxated"! Actually, it's interesting to note that apparently a newborn can receive quite a bit of trauma to their spines and necks when they go through the birth process. Even during a caesarian retrieving a child (eg. using forceps) can cause spines and necks to go out of alignment. So Emma went in for a manipulation....and of course slept through it! Didn't even raise a dainty teeny eyebrow. My credit card however did! Her third outing was today, at Target, where daddy's credit card was then hammered to within an inch of its life so his girls (including the missus) could teach Emma the theraputic value of shopping. Again, she slept through it! Thank God her next outing will be at my folks place for dinner this Saturday. Otherwise my back and my credit card will definitely become "subluxated"!!!

P.S: Cool word, "subluxated". Would you like to know more?

First Outing

Lill and I took Emma out on her first outing yesterday. Unfortunately, it was to a funeral! A friend of Lill's, his dad died, and so we went to pay our respects. It's the first Greek Orthodox funeral we've ever been to. There was grieving, of course, but for one brief moment, when the family first saw Emma, they had joy on their faces. So I'm glad we were able to interject something positive in their lives yesterday!

Breaking News Report!

FLASH! - Emma has gone from 3 hourly feeds to 5 hourly feeds - a new personal best! Parents and siblings believe this is a milestone that can only get better. One parent, who shall remain nameless (Lill) has said, and I quote, "It just ain't human! She obviously gets it from his side of the family...". Mim was not available for comments, but his agent has released this press statement, "We are currently in negotiations with a local exorcist. And hope to have the matter resolved before the pubs open tomorrow!"

Happy Hour

Emma definitely can’t hold her liquor! Every feed, and I mean every feed, she hiccups for ages! Obviously she has her father’s constitution when it comes to drinking...!

Lunch Is Served!

Emma was weighed by the health nurse today and she was 210 grams heavier than when she left the hospital. She sure loves her food! And speaking of food, I had a friend visit for lunch today, and what I like to do to my unsuspecting guests is foist the baby into their arms before they get a chance to say anything and then while they’re helpless take a couple of photos of them. Hey, I’ve gotta amuse myself somehow for the next couple of weeks I’m home!

Bath Time

Bathing Emma is my personal time with her. She’s very relaxed when I bathe her, although she looks a bit like a lobster under the heat lamps and warm water! And after each bath I rub her down with oil because she’s shedding skin so fast, as if she growing too fast to stay in her old skin!!! It’s incredible, when we had the twins, the first three months were a blur, so I had no chance to keep a journal, and blogs were still in their infancy. So now with only the one this time, things are much easier, and not only can I blog about Emma but I can also reminisce about the things that happened with the twins, and compare the experience. So it’s a great time to be home the next couple of weeks and be part of it all!

Survival Instincts

Emma’s a strong little thing, she has a heck of grip when breastfeeding (so I’m told!) and she’s already lifting her head up even though she’s only been in the world for one week (yep, proud dad here!). I’m guessing this is an innate survival instinct, in which she’ll learn to also crawl, walk and run at a rapid pace, because let’s face it, when your sisters are Sarah and Jessica, you need every break you can get! Don’t get me wrong, I love my girls, and they love Emma….almost to death! Sarah is what I call rough and tough love - she’s a tomboy who would be perfect as Xena the Warrior Princess when she was three year old! And Jessica, well, she’s very much into dolls at the moment; she has a collection of them that go with her everywhere, including sleeping in bed with her! It’s like she’s amassed a gang, and it’s still growing! And she wants Emma to be part of it! She sees Emma like the ultimate doll! I hope Emma takes after her mother, because she needs to be thick skinned to take on the demolition twins!!!

And then there was one...

The twins are staying at their grandparents overnight so that Lill and I can have a break with just Emma to contend with. And you know what…we’re bored! Yep, we’re finding it a darn sight too easy taking care of just one child! How bizarre and yet interesting is that! Having been used to the twins and parenting at a gruelling pace we’re finding that one child is a refreshing change and I hope it continues through the night and late in the morning so Lill and I can get some rest! So we’ve made the best of it by sitting back and watching TV…the royal wedding of Mary Donaldson and Crown Prince Frederik to be exact! Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that Posh and Beck have been snubbed from the wedding invitations!!??

One Week Anniversary!

Well it was a week yesterday and the story so far: Emma has filled out nicely! She is eating so well I’m wondering if she’ll outgrow her current skin too quickly or is she fattening herself up for some sort of cacoon stage! Either way she is way too cute to make too much fun of at this stage! And you can see a little bit of her personality starting to come out already. After the initial period of gorging herself silly to fill that bottomless pit of hers, Emma only briefly has that look of being drunk and then she spends the rest of her waking time watching and listening. And the faces she makes…..She’s going to make something of herself, that one. All my girls are. Like any dad with unrealistic expectations I’ve decided that one of them will be a supermodel, one of them will be a plumber, and one of them will be a lawyer. I figure this way we’ll always have the necessities in life: money, running water, and a get out jail free card!!!

Arsenic Hour

Lill and I are trying to figure out Emma’s Arsenic Hour. In this case, we use this term to define the hour or hours when babies can’t sleep, can’t settle, are irritable, and generally go nuts! This is not to be confused with the Arsenic Hour normally associated with kids, which is around dinner time. And of course it’s at these times when you’re at your most tired and frazzled, too. With the twins it was from midnight to 3am in the morning. It only lasts until you establish a proper sleeping pattern, which normally takes a few weeks. Emma so far is choosing the wee hours of the morning to practice her arsenic hours. I remember last night typing a blog with one hand while using my other one to cradle Emma, thinking those late night study sessions during my Uni days are finally paying off! Oh well, at least she’s helping me make use of my off-peak Internet broadband time! I figure if I’m up, I may as well be doing something…like blogging!

Food for thought...

Lill and Emma are in a class all day today. They’re either learning how to sleep (I could teach them that!), how to eat (the way Emma guzzles milk I didn’t think there was a problem) or how to eat and sleep in some kind of rhythm! Either way, I’m left in charge of the twins. Speaking of eating, I have to say that Sarah and Jessica are through and through wogs! I was feeling generous and so asked them what they wanted for lunch (any parent reading this sentence would now be chuckling to themselves because I made the classic mistake of giving a child a choice in ANY given situation) and so for lunch today they had salami, mortadella, stuffed olives and mozzarella cheese! I got a tummy ache just watching them eat! So before their afternoon nap they’re brushing their teeth and I’m introducing them to Listerene!!! And while they have their afternoon nap, maybe I can catch up with a DVD……

Big Brother next door?

Baby monitors are a great invention, however they only come with 2 channels, A and B. And a couple of our neighbours also have just had babies too (something in the Preston water supply perhaps??), and also seem to have baby monitors too! I know this because when I hooked up our baby monitor and switched it on I was hearing someone else’s baby being coo-ed and ah-ed…amongst other things! What were they saying, you may ask? Well, let’s just say that there are members of their family that they are not happy with, and have described them in detail which would make even a Cardinal blush! I’ve yet to guess which neighbour it is, and I’m not about to go door-knocking to find out, either! But I will discreetly switch to the other channel when I hear them again. Trust me, I hate reality shows as it is, without having to tune in to a real live one happening a door or two away!

No Lips!

Nobody can agree who Emma looks like. Half the people who’ve seen her say she looks like me, while the other half says she looks like Lill. She has these lovely translucent blue eyes, pronounced little nose, Liza Minelli hair, Chubby Checker cheeks……you know, she looks exactly like that baby in Ice Age, for those of you who’ve seen the movie you know exactly what I mean! But one thing Emma definitely does NOT have is the Iannello lips….poor thing! And being toothless does not help!! This kid’s gonna have to work hard to make a pout worth showing! At least she has more hair than her Dad! Mind you, that’s not hard to do…:)

Coming Home

I can't believe how much one baby can poop! I've bathed her every day and I've even clipped her fingernails and toenails! I should've been a surgeon with the delicate precision it takes to clip those claws! I love being a dad again, to feel that warm bundle next to me, to smell that baby smell and melt when she opens those eyes and looks at me in primal wonder! Lill's doing well, has been up and about, and taking it all in her stride with only one to contend with this time, but has picked up a little post-op infection, nothing serious, is on antibiotics, and will be coming home today.

This is a quick note to jot down the events of Emma’s birth. This is what I remember.

The first was that I accidently had a whiff of Lill's nitrous oxide and I had an adverse reaction to it! Twenty seconds after I whiffed it, I felt the blood pounding at my temples, everybody's voices went all distant and distorted, and I lost my balance and fell on my kiester! How embarrassing! The nurses thought I wasn't up to the labour and Lill was yelling at them letting them know I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in over 12 hours...what a commotion! Two cups of orange juice later I felt like Popeye after a can full of spinach and I was back next to Lill's side having my hand crushed during the waves of contractions that were occuring. No abuse hurled at me, but many terse moments, and I took them as they came and rolled with them with as much empathy as I could.

The other thing that happened was that after the epidural, the baby became distressed and the heart beat was starting to slow down dramatically. Within minutes we were whisked up to the theatre and by 10:30am Emma was delivered but it took a while for her to cry as her stomach and lungs had been full of blood and it took some time to pump it out. Towards the end, the placenta was coming away and blood was getting into Emma's nose and mouth, and to us, those minutes of not hearing her cry and wondering "what if" were the longest of our lives. When we did hear her it was as if destiny changed tracks and made things right again, realising it was taking us down a wrong path! I then took photos and watched as Emma was checked and all was good. And, of course, I had to prove to those nurses that I fell down because of the gas, not because I was skittish, so I stood next to the operating doctor while holding Lill's hand during the operation and watched in awe from the moment the operation began with cut....well, I know what you're saying right now, so I'll edit out all the gory details and just say that I raised those nurses eyebrows a few centimetres!!!

And the rest of the details: the contractions started a 3am this morning, but Lill's water had not been breached. 3 hours and dozens of massages later ( me to her, not vice versa!) and still nothing, but the hospital said come in, so we did. By 7am her contractions were rolling in waves but still no broken waters. By 10am Lill's water had broken, she had dialated to 5cm, but the epidural was distressing the baby. By 10:30am Emma was born and then when she had been cleaned Lill was taken to recover while I spent the next 40 minutes with Emma in my arms trying to raise her body temperature using a heat lamp and my body warmth. Mother and baby are now fine and resting.