First thoughts.....

If the cat can post to this blog, so can a baby!

My Daddy thinks I'm precocious as I'm already becoming a little magpie - he wears a silver chain and I hang onto it every time he picks me up. Like father like son I say.

I know just how lucky I am to have a Daddy like mine. He takes his turn with making me presentable for my audience in the morning, has got the changing routine down to a 'T' and makes sure Mummy is fed and watered at regular intervals. She has to keep her strength up to feed a little Hobbit like me - I'm a Hobbit only when it comes to the amount of times I need sustenance rather than the hairy feet thing I hasten to add.

I'm learning so much from him even at this stage. I can't quite reach the keyboard when he lays me on his lap whilst he's gaming, but it won't be long before he will be blaming the strange in game messages on me rather than the cat. Now I just have to find where the hotkey is for the expletives.........................

Couple of quick points

Just a quick thank you to all those who sent their best wishes - wether it was by email, text, smoke signal or what ever - we really did appreciate it :)

Fast update - Michael has just lost his umbilical bit - if that makes sense... I really must find that before the cat starts chewing it and gets the flavour....

Speaking of the moggy - she assures me she has put claw to paper again and will let me have it soon.... (She seems to be ok with Michael at the minute - I do however note that the pair of them seem to be having a farting contest, and I thought that there was nothing worse than a canned cat fart.....)

Grand parents on my side are happy... speechless, but happy :)

Baby head wetting is set for 27 th june - oh dear what a shame... my birthday.....

salute all :)

oh my

as I type this, Michael is asleep on my lap, and Val is getting some much deserved rest herself.

Yes we do have some photos, actually we have shed loads of pictures, but, I am not really ready to post them yet - rather, I am sitting here trying to put into words what I feel.

It isn't easy - especially if you do not do emotion LOL!

I look down at my son.. our son - you know what I mean, and i get choked up - I want to do so much for him, and to just give him all i can.

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and yes, for those who wondered - i do change the nappies, and yes, I do burp him etc :)

Introducing Michael Peter

born at 2230 on 19th June 2007, weight 6 15
Mother and baby doing well
Val has to stay in for a couple of days but all went smoothly

I will post more when I can

LOADING - Please Wait

or it may be a false alarm
seems as if the bump is moving - the baby obviously wants to pop out as it heard me tinkering with the falco this morning, and the pure power of the V Twin may well have been too much for it
(Apparently we have contractions every seven minutes.... personally, I am quite looking forward to this - but then I am not the one with a football to expel!)

will try to keep people posted

Alea Jacta Est

well, 5 or so weeks till the babe arrives, and to celebrate, I am off for a few days.

(Hence the title - it is, in many ways, the last roll of the dice for me as a dad too be)

For those of you who have not heard, we do know the sex of our baby - but are keeping it quiet. Tied in with that, we are helping a friend out with some fundraising for Cancer Relief - for those of you close enough, pop in to the Butchers arms and by a ticket for a pound - you will get to draw a name, and the right names are in there - winner gets something... probably spirits based :)

So, be safe all, am off to hampshire, london and leicestershire over the next 3 days...

I do hope this baby likes bikes!

Star Child?

Well, off we went to see the Midwitches and their friends, and got to play with the scanner.

Now, I admit that I am a bit of an anorak about Sci-Fi - but does anyone else remember 2001 a Space odyssey?

Remember the Star Child that appears at the end of the film?

Well - there it is in all its glory.

But the scan showed something very similar - in fact I said it aloud.

(I got the obligatory strange looks, but hey, I can deal with that!)

Now that is scary!

Anyway, Babe is fine, fighting fit and seems to react well to Mother having a little curry.....

Now then, the question is - do we have a baby girl or boy - we do know, but we are keeping it quiet, and will be a suprise for all of you :)

(Gabby doesn't mind so long as the baby balinese has good fur, and walks on four legs, not like her stupid two leg humans....)

Getting all hippy....

Now, I am a chap of a certain age... and yes, I have been known to have long hair, and just maybe some of my shirts have been a tad flowery - but I am not really a hippy.

BUT

I am getting all into love and peace, and planet saving - I see pictures of whales and want to hug them... I walk around dandelions and smile at butterflies..... and, yes, I have been listening to Pink Floyd again. (And no - not the later stuff, the wish you were here era....)

So, what brought on this latest episode of Lentil Loving?

The baby's heart beat.

I went off with She Who Must Be Obeyed to visit the Midwitches and they played this great game with some device or another - and there was Barney - loud and clear.
Now he did have a kind of hard acid house beat thing going on - like 140 beats per minute, but then he is daddy's little raver :)

Now, you remember Dark side of the Moon? that heart beat that just runs through the whole album, and makes you feel all kind of loved up? That is nothing mate - abso-bloody-lutely nothing - to hear that little heart beat hit a chord with me

So - am off to find some more whales to hug - I may even look kindly on the inhabitants of Lesbos....

Raising the child properly

Well, it was always going to be a hard one - do I raise the child with a love of the beautiful game, and foster that love by taking them along to either Norwich or Ipswich, or do I raise them properly....

I chose the path less well trod!

So, much to my delight, and Val's disgust, I have bought a replica leeds strip for the 6 to 9 month old. Now before the assorted people start commenting, yes I do realise that there will be plenty of opportunities to parade the baby at assorted Division 1 grounds next season - now sod off the lot of you :)

Val of course has expressed no interest in such an important decision... and i believe my father remains a Man U scum fan - bleeding glory hunters! Mind you, I think Val got off lightly - I did see a rather pleasnt little ducati that I though would be a lovely new born present......

Daddy goes shopping....

Well, life can be strange, and nothing is stranger than a dad to be shopping for the babe to be....

Now I am not going to go into any detail at all, but lets just say our first baby will not be having any brothers or sisters - am fairly certain that when Val finds out what I have bought she will be looking for me with a carving knife and a rusty spoon...

And, no, it is not a new computer for junior... and No, it is not his own ickle motorbike that daddy will ride in for him....

Any guesses ?

daddy's little hooligan

So, today I decided to have a good feel around the wife's bump - no not for that reason... that is what got me into this mess in the first place!

Sure enough, Barney woke up, established that someone was poking around and decided to stick the boot in. (Why do I have a mental image of a baby with those cute little bootsies on... looking like Doc Martins!)

It did feel strange - we have about 12 weeks to go, but to feel our child like that was... well, wierd. I suspect those weeks are going to go very quickly now, and the end of June will soon be here.

Gabby is going to be in for a shock - I suspect that she is probably going to adopt the babe as her own kitten - and I also think that the baby is going to get very confused about who Aunty Gabby is..... and if the baby gets weaned on catnip treats I will not be at all surprised!

As for me - I am still endorsing the idea that breast is best for the baby..... that should save me a few nights' sleep :)
Next up - ante natal classes start soon.... scary!

Latest Scan - tempremental so and so!

I never thought that our baby would be camera shy..... But - seems that the little so and so is hiding the family jewels - we genuinly do not know if we are having a boy or a girl - crossed legs, and hand over the bits. (I know - hand over the bits - must be a boy as we can't leave our bits alone!)

But, we can see a few things of interest - the nose seems to be more like Val's than mine. (And yes, again, I know - if it were like mine then the babe's other hand would be picking it....)

Do I detect a burgeoning real ale belly there? Could be

I have rotated the image, but if you imagine that the babe is on it's back.... I do detect a certain resemblance to the wife.... no doubt the babe is already planning on falling asleep at the first opportunity and taking all the available space....

Well - what else is new? The nursery is done, all bar the little feminine touches that is. The large part of those feminine touches seem to involve buying things and covering every spare inch of storage space but I digress. It does look ok - though when I wander in there it does scare me to see the cot, and the pram, and the change board and the piles of nappies.... it is enough to drive a chap to drink!

Val has introduced me to a few new concepts that have scared me - who ever heard of designer baby clothes! lets just say that EBay has taken a hammering - and why the poxy hell is it that my newest shirt cost £3.75 while baby monster's was a damn site more....

The cat remains bewildered - she thinks the pram is for her and can't find her favourite sleeping spot now...

The Grandparents are still fighting back - My mother insists on not being called granny, nana or anything similar... My Father still just sits and laughs at me - we will get our own back on you Pops!

Taking over this Joint.....

(Translated from the original Feline by Bonnie Langford.... that girl really must get out more!)

Good Day - after a few weeks of silence from one of my TwoLegs, I thought it was time that I added my thoughts to this .... situation.

Now I permit my humans a fair amount of freedom - I let them go to work, mainly because they can then buy me more catnip, but also because it is important that they have a hobby that does not revolve around me.... that way they will appreciate my incredible beauty even more while hand grooming my bushy tail...

But, it seems that I have given them to much freedom - the more feminine of the TwoLegs looks like she is going to have kittens - and I did not even hear her starting to Call... and if she had of called, SURELY anything is better than that paunchy bugger? I mean, at least get a Tom with a few battle scars, or whose feet do not smell.... and have you seen the state he leave his litter tray? Anyway, I digress - looks like she is having kittens, and I am not that amused.

My Humans, after a few months of intensive training, had realised their subservient role, and were indeed focusing every waking hour to my pleasure. This has now stopped. Only last week, as I was relaxing in the messiest room - they are all messy, but this is the worst, and all of a sudden they started taking things out..... they even took out the old towels that I had spent weeks working on - just comfortable, with just the right amount of fur shed on them. AND, and this is where they took their own lives into their paws, they even took ME out! I ask you - what is a Balinese Princess to do?

Having totally emptied the room, the male TwoLegs started doing some strange things to the walls.... he had a song going all the time - obviously not as nice as my purr, but .... "Always bloody allergic to some poxy part of pigging decorating and finds a way of getting out of it every bloody time sometimes i sodding wonder why i always do this...." Not the catchiest song, but he did seem to like it as he sang it most of the day - the only time he stopped was when the other two legs came in; perhaps she does not know the words?

So - that Human worked away - obviously I did supervise him, but he did do a fair job. Now all that remains is something to cover the floor - the wooden floor is quite hard on my delicate paws after all! Today he has emptied the room out so I assume he is planning something. I have also decided that this must be something to do with the kittens - but what a palava! When I had my kittens, I made do with a cardboard box... admittadly it looked like a palace with my beauty, but I mean to say....

Anyway - it has all gone quiet, so I assume that he has gone to play with that funny TV box in the small office - I bet I can distract him so he grooms me instead!

Ciao for Now

Gabby xxx

Barney is a Biker - Confirmed

Its been a few weeks since I added anything to this blog, but we have been very busy.

We do however have a new scan picture - and here it is :)

As you can clearly see, Barney is getting ready for a fast ride - face down, arse in the air, getting into that Ducati pose.... Bless him!

(Cynics would also point out that he does seem to have missed out on his father's nose, but I digress).

Also - we do not know if he is a he yet - and even when we do know about that we may well keep it quiet.

So what else have we been up to? Well, I went on an early trip to a toyshop, just thinking ahead you understand, and was faced with a few hard decisions for Christmas this year - Hornby or Scalectrix.. . and then Cars or bikes? Decisions decisions - I may just get both :)

We have also been moving a pile of stuff to the loft - now this was a fraught adventure - I remember going through the coat rack with the wife, and just how many winter coats does a woman need? (Apparently the answer is 4, and that does not include her barbour jacket.... As for shoes - Imelda Marcos is alive and well and living in beccles. The collection of trotter covers was remarkable - and amazingly enough we have managed to prise her hands off a few pairs and are sending them, along with a few other bits to a second hand clothes shop....

Shit - just had a thought - if she goes in their with stuff to sell, then she will browse, and then buy more stuff - bugger it, I had better go clear some more space for her aquisitions!

Happy New Year?

So, 2007 is here, and soonish, so will be Barney....

It felt strange last night as I quaffed countless ales, thinking about my dearly beloved who had gone home to bed as she was feeling tired - new year will never be the same again.

In fact, not just new year, but life in general. I assume that most reading this have seen the Yellow Pages advert where some chap is calling for insurance for his corvette - just as his wife tells him she is pregnant? Kind of a similar feeling for me atm. I have decided to sell one of my bikes, and am seriously thinking that a 2+2 sports car may not be the best thing for a young family.... Now that is damn scary!

But, as my dad said, "Son, when you get married, that four penny pie will cost you eight pence" - so I guess it is now twelve pence and rising.

Other things are different as well - and I think that maybe other chaps will understand this - It used to be just me and val in this house, now it is Val and Barney - and i get to be around a bit as well.

So, happy new year all

Random Musings

So, just a few random thoughts, mainly related to Barney, but not all...

Barney I hear you say - is that the babe's name for real. NOPE, but I remain convinced, having seen the scan, that we are in actual fact having a barn owl. Even at work, where the staff are mainly all women and mainly all broody, people are commenting the same thing - it is a barn owl...

(Just the other night I rubbed Val's tummy and said "Hi Barney" - my god that was a slap and a half!)

So - what else is new in the Dean Household.... Well, the spare bed has gone. Not a bad thing bar the obvious fact that I will not be comfortable when I sleep after a bellyfull of ale and have elected to not wake Val up.... Oh, and of course this means that I have fewer excuses about decorating the damn thing.
(Val has a strange form of asthma - it seems to be triggered by paint fumes, wall paper paste fumes, sandpaper dust - basically anything to do with decorating... I will let you draw your own conclusions on this!)

The cat is getting possessive over Barney's Bump - I don't know if you have ever tried to cuddle up to your significant other and ended up with 7 pounds of disgruntled balinese about to explode in your arms, but trust me - if you haven't, leave it for some other poor bugger - it hurts less.

The family seem to be quite relaxed about the whole thing - my father just sits there and grins at me - I think he knows something I don't.... My mother in law has produced the christening clothes that val wore - I resisted the urge to point out anything about size as it would be a swine to get the blood out of the baby frock....

This christmas I am working - and I mean really working - 13 hour shifts on christmas eve, christmas day, boxing day and christmas wednesday. Next year I will not be working as I will be helping Barney to open his presents - I think a model railway set is an ideal gift for his first christmas :)

Lastly, I have grown up. Well, a little.

Oh ok, I have decided to sell one of my bikes - so daddy is losing one of his little babies, all for the new one - why do I feel that this is going to be just the begining of sacrifices?

Kind Thoughts

So, the news has spread - sometimes slowly, sometimes very quickly... how quick? well, we were the hot topic of conversation at the local pub right up untill the landlard started talking about increasing his prices

AGAIN!

seriously, we have received many kind words, and more than a few cards etc - we have really appreciated them all.

Couple of rejoiners however

To the colonials asking if we were goining to teach it cricket, and if so did we want to move to australia... am sorry, neither val nor me have a criminal record so we can'T...

to the other colonials asking similar things about rugby and new zealand - sorry, Val is not my cousin....

To the arsey types asking about football and leeds united - I do know where you live...

And finally to Mr Brown who asked about if the child will able to care for us in our dotage.... you scare us...

Big Love to all who sent us kind thoughts!

Yep - Its a baby....

As you can see - a minime or mini val :)

This was the dating scan, and as of yesterday, 10 weeks and 5 days - ish. So, expected delivery date is 2nd July 2007

Looking at the images on the screen was - well interesting! I was very quiet, fairly nervous and more than a little dumbstruck.

Ickle arms and legs - well, buds at any rate. Far to early to see if their is a spout or not!

One thing - the image looks a bit like a barn owl laid on its side - or, I am certain it looks like the alien caricture from Roswell....

Be afraid - be very afraid LOL

Another slice of coal dear?

Now I have to be honest, my good lady wife does enjoy her food.

Well, she did enjoy it at any rate!

We have all heard of strange food desires for pregnant women, but so far I have not seen to many. Having said that, I am now very aware that ginger is a natural anti emetic. Just last night, as I got into bed, a plaintive voice asked me to get her a drink - of ginger beer.

So I head down stairs, braving the Balinese booby traps in the dark, and just as I get back upstairs, I hear a request for something to nibble... perhaps just a few ginger snaps....

Yep, the house has ginger all over the place!

Meanwhile, my full fat dairy product loving wife has found out that dairy products, including milk, makes her unwell.

Have you ever tried soya milk on cornflakes? I know that breakfast time is a wake up call, but that is one taste I never want to try again!

Ah well, I wonder what will come next in the food selection... and while I wonder about that, i am off to the body shop to see if I can find some ginger body rub, just in case you understand.....

Nerve Wracking?

The news today has been led by a story about Gordon Brown's youngest child having Cystic Fibrosis - and that kind of thing is quite nerve wracking as you start to think a little bit.

I guess as we are in health care, we are probably more aware of the risks regarding some diseases than most. Some think that would help, trust me it doesn't.

I guess this subject is a hard one - when we start the battery of tests for abnormalities, what would we do if something came back positive? I think, at this moment in time, that no matter what we would love our child, but.... well, you can guess.


Of my current patient load, I do have some people with downs and learning disability. Though hard work, at times, their care is remarkably rewarding. I guess that each time I see them I think, and the more I think the more my views change.

****

On a lighter note, Val told one of her brothers this morning about our babe - Tony is over in New Zealand and will not be about for christmas so would not hear with the rest. He has been sworn to secrecy Val assures me, so the other brothers won't know just yet. The plan is for that part of the family to be told in a couple of weeks time.