rb.log

If you're wondering about the bleating in the background, we were at the Egham ¨Royal¨ Show...

I'm a bit late with this video, since it's actually from mid-April. It's a short sequence of Maddie getting her talking voice, and chatting away to her "changing-partner" squeek.

I love this shot of Maddie that Shannon took. She's getting so alert and smiling so much now.

In the morning, when Shannon blow-dries her hair, Maddie usually lies on a blanket on the floor, happily staring at herself in the mirror.
Now, though, she's got the pod, so no more lying down! It's a really foamy seat that holds her up very well. He neck muscles are good and strong, except then she has the hiccups, when she tends to lose some head control.

Maddie has started smiling. "The doctors say she is very advanced for her age". Shannon is very good at pulling the faces and using "the voice" to make it happen. What a cutey.

Shannon posted our daily routine with Maddie.

Here's Shannon's Mum singing a song for Madeline. Nice improv!

OK, I do want to post about other things up here, and I will in a second, but couldn't resist a few more shots of Maddie.

Things I'm learning from the first few days of caring for Madeline:

1. Kids poo comes in a range of colors, textures and odors.


2. The stump of the umbilical cord doesn’t just shrink away, it drops off (glad someone warned me that’s coming…).


3. It doesn’t really matter the size, pretty much everything will “fit” a baby.


4. Lots of stuff about what breasts are REALLY for.


5. Our baby likes head massages (as does Shannon).


6. Watching a baby transmitter for signs of life (i.e. the smallest flicker of an LED) can make you paranoid.


7. There are no “rules” for caring for your baby, only “things to try”.


8. You can find someone’s personality in the smallest movement. Or even stillness.


9. Even a big baby is really small.


10. You can’t avoid being biased about how beautiful your own child is.

Please indulge a new father. I'm hoping my photography won't be ENTIRELY swamped by my new daughter, but I think I'm already deluding myself. We'll see.

Here are some shots of her first few days. Mostly in the hospital.

Here's Shannon less then an hour after the birth of our daughter, looking amazing.

The end of our 9 month wait came on Monday, a day after our "due" date. Madeline Eleanor Banks was born at 8:40pm, UK time, weighing 9 lbs and 15 oz (4.51 kg) at a length of 22 inches (55 cm). Shannon is doing great and we're both very, very happy.