Top Babies Names of 2009

According to a report in The Lincolnshire Echo this week, the most popular names in the East Midlands are Jack (again) and Emily. The top 10 list of girls names features tewo new entries this year - Amelia and Evie. In the boys list, in order of popularity; Jack, Oliver, Harry, Thomas and Alfie. Follwing Emily on the girls list is Olivia, Grace, Ruby and Amelia.

Time for Solids?

Jamie was 25weeks old yesterday and so far he has been an angel baby. I am sure this is going to change pretty soon. I see the way he looks at things - he has started following things with his eyes - and I know in a few months he is going to be into everything!! But I wouldn't have it any other way.....

Cousin Lucy visited last weekend and she has started on solids (she is still breastfeeding and having bottled milk as well) and so we thought we might try Jamie this weekend. The jar we used came free in a Bounty pack (something with vegetables??) and when we opened it I thought to myself "I don't like the smell of that". Poor old Jamie did try, but most of it ended up on his bib (or the floor) and in the end we could see he was gagging so we let him go to bed with some nice milk. Only trouble was, he woke up for the first time in ages at 5am wanting to be fed!!

Book Recommendations 1 and 2

Your Baby Week by Week: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your New Baby
by Caroline Fertleman, Dr. Simone Cave (2007) Vermilion.

I loved their description of a baby as it reaches week 12: ‘Three months marks the unofficial rite of passage when your baby is no longer a helpless little creature. Instead of craving a recreation of his womb environment, he embraces the outside world and becomes a bouncing, gurgling flirt whose sole purpose appears to be to befriend everyone he sees.’

Can’t believe how soon we reached the last chapter – week 24 which was Saturday. It seemed to take for ages to get to my 20week scan when we were told everything was ok but Jamie getting to 20 weeks seems to have happened in a flash!!

First Aid for Babies and Children Fast (2006) Dr Vivien J Armstrong, in association with the British Red Cross www.redcross.org.uk Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

Bought myself this the other week after a talk at my baby group and it being recommended. Reading it made me panic about all the things that could go wrong and made me wonder would I be able to cope? But then I think that I don’t know of many babies / children who have had accidents as described in the book and I have every faith in the ambulance service that they would get to me and sort us out…..

I did learn that in an emergency; and especially in the cases of heat exhaustion, fainting, internal bleeding and shock, to keep your child’s legs above the level of their heart as this improves the blood flow to their brain. About the only time the legs need to be below the heart are if the child is bitten by a snake - not likely around here....

The book also gave me a list of things that I should have in my medicine cabinet in case of emergency such as sterile dressings, bandages, adhesive tape, chamomile lotion….

Reading it made me glad we live in a bungalow!!

Jamie is the BIG cousin

Have been to visit Noah a couple of times in hospital this week. They initially kept him in as he was not feeding well enough, then Hannah had a low blood count and had to have a transfusion and now little Noah has an infected belly button. The first day we visited Noah we had been swimming beforehand (that's twice now) and a lady in the pool with her daughter referred to Jamie as 'the baby' and could not believe he was as old as we said he was! Then, on the way to see Noah this week a woman in the lift (not a Nurse) said 'I guess about 11 weeks'. He will be 24weeks on Saturday!!

Baby clinic was last Thursday and he weighed 14lbs 3oz and his length was 65.5cm. He is certainly not a baby anymore! Although this means he is just over the 25th centile line for is weight, he is actually on the 75th line for his height. The Health Visitor was very happy with his progress.

Daddy is still not working and Jamie has been coming on so much in the last few weeks. He can roll over and back by himself but he is also beginning to grasp the concept of crawling. We are willing him to move foreward and you can see he is only a whisper away from doing it. Once again he has been such a happy baby. Even when going back to the hospital and visiting Noah he behaved himself - even Nanna said so!! The only real trouble we have had with him lately was our trip along the M5 - being stuck in traffic is no-ones idea of fun and when we got to Somerset it took ages to get him settled. We won't be going that far with him for a while (although we did pick up some lovely toys for him!). At Baby Signing (which we have done 4 weeks so far) he has become more involved and this last week only fell asleep at the end!!

Blog Baby 14

Noah Luke born 11.28am on the 9th September (09/09/09) weighing 6lb 8oz by emergency ceasarean to Hannah and Michael.

Second grandson for Jenny. First for John.

Cousin to Jamie, Nephew to Jo and Dale and Rebecca and Jimmy.

All doing well and hoping to be released today!