6 Weeks Old...

...and her personality is starting to come out. She has been chatting and smiling for awhile now but she's finally looking at us like she knows who we are. It's so nice to go into her room in the morning and to have her look up at me, crack a huge grin and start cooing at me. It makes my heart melt every time she does it.

I think we're also getting close to sleeping straight through as well. She used to wake every four hours through the night, but she's now going almost 6 hours. A couple more weeks and she may even go a full 8 hours! Ah sleep!! :) I cannot wait.

She was in to baby clinic last Wednesday for a weight and health check and she is a little porker! She was 7lbs 8oz when she was born and she's now 9lbs 15oz. Almost 10 pounds!! Good lord! I knew she was getting bigger though...I had to pack away all her newborn clothes last week. The health visitors were all really happy with her development though. She's holding her head up for longer each day, looking at her hands and feet and focusing on toys when we hold them up to her. She's doing great and Andy and I are loving having her with us.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Our Girl Smiles!!

And it is the cutest little smile ever! She's been smiling for about a week now, but she'd only do it if we smiled at her. Now she just smiles for no reason at all. And she's talking to us as well. She grunts and grins and I adore the lil sweetie! I've put a video of her grinning up in the video section on the right as well as a couple more photographs as well.

AND...she's 5 weeks old today!! :) I can't believe how quickly the days are passing.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Blog Updates

I've been a busy girl today and have finally managed to create a video section on my blog. You can click through each individual video through the menu on the right or go direct to my YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/profile?user=summcash

Go have a look!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Four Weeks Old...

...and she's growing like a weed!! The health visitor came by on Wednesday and she weighs 9lbs 5 oz. She has gained almost two pounds in just under four weeks! The health visitor is happy with her progress though and has discharged us to clinic. That means they won't come to the house anymore but we can still pop in to the clinic whenever we want if we have any concerns about Anya. We do have to go about every two weeks though just to monitor her weight and progress.

She is growing so quickly...it amazes me! She is getting really good at holding her head up and can support it for longer and longer every day. She also is starting to focus on me and Andy. It's so nice when I'm talking to her and she looks right at me. She's also grinning as well!! My little girl makes me so happy. She's my little star.

Although...I have to ask...how the hell does the government expect you to take a passport photo of a baby and STILL conform to their strict photo guidelines?? Andy and I spent almost an hour trying to get a decent picture of her the other night and it was virtually impossible. Although the pictures we came out with are HILARIOUS!! I have to put them up here...they are too funny not to share.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Three Weeks Old....

....and colic has settled in.

Piss.

On the plus side:

I quit smoking 1 Year, 18 minutes and 11 seconds ago (365 days). I have saved £1,157.99 by not smoking 5,475 cigarettes. I have saved 2 Weeks, 5 Days and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 12 January 2007.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Two and a Half Weeks...

...and we're exhausted! But absolutely loving every second of it. Anya is growing so fast and is putting on weight with every health check she has. She is doing really well and we are finally starting to settle in to being parents. It's only just started to feel real to us. For the first week and a half it felt as though we were her babysitters and her real mum and dad would be coming to collect her soon. It's nice to finally feel like she is ours forever.

My mum, dad and brother got here on New Year's Eve for a visit and I think they fell in love with her. Andy and I hardly held her the entire week they were here as they had to cram a couple months of cuddles into one week. They spoiled her rotten (which we were expecting...first grandchild/niece) and left on Sunday. Hopefully we'll be moving back to Canada in a couple months and they will be able to see her whenever they want.

Anya is a little darling and I am loving being her mummy. I have a hard time looking at her and not smiling. We are finally a family now and I have never been happier with my life. I have put up loads more pictures of my little girl. Click on the "Photos" section to the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

A Week Ago Today....

Andy and I were blessed with our daughter Anya. I cannot believe she is a week old already. It just seems like yesterday when we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is slowly settling into a routine and is a very happy baby. She sleeps...A LOT! She sits in her little pillow on the sofa with daddy or in bed with mummy most of the day and then sleeps in her cot at night...and she usually only wakes once or twice during the night for a nappy change and a feed.

She's wonderful and she is quickly becoming a daddy's girl. It is so adorable to see the two of them cuddled up together. I have never seen Andy happier! He looks at her sometimes with such love that it makes my heart ache. He was born to be a daddy and he will be great at it I am sure.

Speaking of which, it is time for me to wake him up so I can grab a quick nap before Anya needs feeding again. I have added quite a few more photographs as well. Click on "Anya at Home" to the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

She's Here and She's Perfect!!

Anya Jane Cashmore
Saturday, 22 December 2007
10:37pm
7lbs 8oz
20 inches/51cms

Well she was 10 days late but she was worth every moment of waiting! On Saturday, 22 December Andy and I were given an early Christmas present....Anya Jane Cashmore! She is absolutely perfect - although it was an incredibly difficult journey for her as well as for Andy and me:

Saturday, 22 December 2007

8:45am - My waters broke as I was just going to sleep (yes...hadn't yet been to sleep from Friday). Rang Andy and work and brought him home.
9:15am - First contraction (OUCH!) - they then carried on for the next hour at roughly 8 minutes apart. I have a nice long soak in the tub and put on my TENS machine (nerve stimulation machine thought to interrupt the pain signals to the brain and release endorphins to fight pain naturally -- useless piece of tat!)
10:15am - Contractions get longer and start coming every 5 minutes. Time to get ourselves to the hospital...and quick!
11:00am - Booked into the hospital, contraction are now 2-3 minutes apart although they felt like they are one on top of the other. Examined by midwife and find out I am already 6cms dilated! Bring on the entinox/gas & air (laughing gas to those of you across the pond)!! It takes the edge of the pain but makes me feel like I'm not in the room. Didn't like that. Start pacing the room and leaning on Andy.
12:00pm - Given an injection of pethidine for pain relief in addition to the gas and air. Still feeling the pain, but just don't really care anymore! Although Andy is looking a little bruised and his thumb may be broken. Do you think the midwives would give him some drugs? :) I'm still standing and leaning on Andy.
2:00pm - Examined again and I am now 8cm dilated. Midwives tell me I will be ready to start pushing soon. STILL have not sat down...still leaning on Andy.
4:00pm - Examined again. The magic 10cm mark has been reached but baby's head is still quite high up. Told to push with each contraction if I have the urge but not to force it. Given another dose of pethidine and begin to gently push the baby down. Still standing.
7:15pm - Baby's head is down and I am told to begin pushing with everything I've got! Given another canister of gas & air and begin pushing standing up, leaning over the bed.
8:00pm - Contractions begin to be less regular and baby's head still hasn't even crowned yet. Change position and get on the bed on my hands and knees. More gas and air and more pushing.
8:45pm - Midwife decides that I need to be moved to the obstetrician-led section of the maternity unit so I can be given a drip of oxytocin. This will make the contractions stronger and more regular. She leaves the room to get the paperwork and arrange for the transfer. Baby however, is doing very well.
9:00pm - Midwife returns mid-push and oddly my contractions are now very strong and very regular. She decides I don't need to be transferred and I continue pushing.
10:00pm - The baby's head still has not crowned and the midwife tells me she will have to do an episiotomy to allow room for the baby to come down. This means I will need to get on to my back...ugh...which I really didn't want.
10:15pm - After a few minutes on my back and a couple pushing, the baby finally crowns (without the episiotomy)!! After a dozen or more really strong contractions and even harder pushes.....
10:37pm - IT'S A GIRL!! She is alert and calm and quite possibly the most gorgeous little thing I have ever set eyes on. They place her straight on to my tummy (one definite advantage to being on my back) and we have about half an hour to bond and cuddle and then the midwife takes her to be cleaned up and weighed. Then it's time for daddy to get his turn as well before he has to leave for the night.
12:00am - I head to the bathroom for a much needed soak in the tub and Andy gets some one on one time with his new daugher.
1:00am - My sister-in-law Jane arrives to take Andy home and Anya and I move from the delivery room to the ward to settle in for our first night.

We had two nights in the hospital and came home to be with Daddy on Christmas Eve around 6:00pm. Anya has already settled in well and is sleeping and eating well. I actually managed to get around 5 hours sleep last night which amazes me! She is a wonderfully calm and quiet baby and we are completely in love with her already.


There are plenty more photographs, just click on the links on the right side menu.

Videos

"Moments After Birth" (2.77MB)

"Being Weighed" (1.23MB)

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Fashionably Late...MY ARSE!

Ok...I am now 9 days overdue and I am losing my mind!! I had a sweep done on Tuesday (OUCH!) and was really hoping that would kick start labour. Last night Andy and I thought lil' bean was on his/her way. I started having contractions around 6pm and they were coming between 16 and 20 minutes apart. We got so excited! The contractions then started getting further apart and then disappeared altogether around midnight. *sigh* oh well.

To make matters worse, the hospital is now refusing to induce labour until a full 14 days have elapsed. This means that I won't be induced tomorrow as originally planned, but will now have to wait until Boxing Day!!! So we may not have our baby for this Christmas unless s/he decides to get moving in the next couple of days.

So, we're disappointed and I'm bordering on absolute exhaustion, but at least we know that within the next week we will finally get to meet lil' bean. We're just so impatient now and each day seems to drag on forever. I'm really hoping labour starts on it's own. I don't want to be induced. I would much rather have a natural labour and delivery. Being induced will add hours and hours to our time in hospital and I was looking forward to going through the first stages of labour at home with Andy. Fingers crossed, that may still happen.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Lil' Bean is Fashionably Late

It's official...my baby has no concept of being on time! I am 40+2 and still no signs that s/he is coming any time soon. *sigh* I am so tired and every part of my body is aching. As much as I have loved being pregnant, I would love it even more if it would just be over now. :) I'm scheduled for a sweep on the 18th and induction on the 21st if the sweep doesn't bring on labour. So at least we know that within the next week our baby will be with us. Knowing the end is in sight is definitely helping to boost my mood. The lack of sleep and aches and pains are bearable because I know now when I will get my body back!! And not a moment too soon either...I am HUGE!!


Andy and I are very excited and cannot wait to welcome our baby and become a family....and just in time for Christmas as well.



Lots of love
Summer
xXx