what a cutie pie !

Zack has discovered hours of pleasure are to be had examining oneself in the mirror. Awesome !

just cooling off

So far, we're still adjusting to being here in South Africa. Zack is sleeping in the oddest patterns and just will not go down, even when he's desperately tired. Today, for example, he grizzled and grizzled in his cot for about 30 minutes without going to sleep, so I took him out and we went outside and sat in a tub in the garden. It's really very hot at the moment, so it was quite soothing. The upshot of it all was that he dropped off immediately after we'd re-dressed him. The only problem is that I can't do that at 2, or 3 or 4am. We just have to feed him, or console him, to try and get him back to sleep. Travelling really does throw their little cycles.

Today was my brother's birthday, which was a treat. I am seldom in town for it, so we got together for a BBQ and he and his girlfriend, Kelly, stayed on until the late evening. It is good to see him, and Zack loves interacting with boys.

safely in S. A.

Huge thanks go to Trish for giving me the number of a taxi co that would take us to the airport with a baby seat. We arrived at around 5:30pm for a flight at 9pm so there was oodles of time and I felt very relaxed and able to cope. Our flight was fine - you can't expect miracles - Zack slept for about 3 hours between 1am and 4am, and I got to watch "The Devil Wears Prada", which I'd hoped to see. I even caught the tail end of "Cars" (Pixar).

We are now ensconsed in my mum's new pad in Fairland, and it is lovely and roomy. We hit the shops yesterday afternoon and got the necessary items for the young 'un, and he now has a high-chair at his Nana's - all our needs are met.

People at the airport and at the supermarket yesterday were eager to tell me that Zack is very FAT. Ah-huh. Whatever !


Zack takes a bath in the sink last night - it's just the right size.

He's still adjusting to the time zone I think as the sleep patterns are haywire, but we'll give it a few days before getting anxious.

Johannesburg is a sight : beautiful Jacaranda trees in full bloom are everywhere, and it's very hot and dry.

We miss Keith tho'

take it off !

Zack's cast came off on Thursday morning to a huge sigh of relief from mum, and general pleasure from hospital staff. We have a check up in 3 months time - no physio necessary either.

We are packing to go to South Africa tomorrow night.

What the week has held

As I mentioned in the 'kaput' entry, I haven't been coping very well, at all, of late. I'm finding the full-time mummy thing a real challenge, one which gets ontop of me a little too regularly for my liking. Keith has been a honey and worked from home a few hours this week, while I've had some time to sleep. I got an extra 4 hours yesterday which felt great.

What's made me realise how rotten things are is my coping skills. Usually I get annoyed at the stupidity that i have to live with, for example... "where have I put the house keys, again?". I get really angry with myself and incredibly frustrated at the ridiculous things that I do - things that I've never done in my life. Last week, I left my keys in the car one evening, and the next morning, Keith took the only OTHER set of keys we have to work with him (well, they're on his key-ring so it's unavoidable). It would, necessarily be on the day when I CANNOT live without the car - I was leading bible study in Limehouse and looking after Caitlin. Trish was a honey and stepped up to the plate by bringing Caitlin over here, but I had to cancel on the biblestudy girls. It was just too much. Yes, friends keep saying to me, "Ruth, don't do so much. Do less!" yeah, yeah. I know I should, I just want to be me. Me would easily have coped with those two things. What's the problem ??

I can't put it down to much more than lack of sleep. My nutrition is A++ (hell, I'm eating enough fruit, veg, meat, carbs, cake, chocolate and drinking plenty of water and a cup of coffee each day). My health hasn't been good though - I've had this lingering chest and sinus infection for weeks now. Last Friday I went to the doctor for even more anti-biotics, so it looks like I may yet kick this. I've been inhaling lots of steam at night too, which aught to do the trick. I get quite depressed thinking about it all.

What makes me feel really cheerful though is Zack's little smile...


... and hugs and kisses from Keith...

... and the thought that on Wednesday morning next week I will be in Johannesburg with my mum, Andy, Kelly, mum-in-law, Sal, friends, aunts and cousins. Bring it on !!! Basically it all adds up to a bit more help.

Keith and I have chosen to live in the UK, and to drink the cup that is life here. That does mean that we have to swim solo as a little family, but there's no law against stopping at the fuel depot every now and then.

Tomorrow is Zack's big "take it off ! take it off!" day. We are having the cast off at 9:50am and then x-rays to be sure all is well. We'd appreciate your prayers and good wishes.

together time

Trish and I are sharing child-care. She looked after Zack on Tuesday while Shirley (my aunt, visiting from Johannesburg) and I went up to Stoke Newington and Islington. I looked after Caitlin on Thursday when Trish had a meeting with the gallery owner she's showing with next year. I took some cute pics of the kids together.

kaput

Zack (plaster not in view) and his dad

I'm not doing well at all. It's been so great having my aunt staying with us, but other than that I am not coping. I'm now onto a 5-day course of Amoxicillin to try and clear this infection, Zack is still not sleeping through despite our best efforts - big meals, paracetamol, etc - and I think he's suffering from awful constipation too. Besides the teething that is. Keith's tooth crumbled last night before supper, so he's off for some emergency dental work in the middle of next week (yes, first free moment). My post-wisdom hole is healing well (at least that's one thing).

I guess life just gets too much sometimes. I had a good week about 2 or 3 weeks ago and I felt like I was getting on top of things. I was efficient and managed to line up some quotes for the house's 'to do' list. It just goes in fits and starts. You don't just suddenly get your groove back... it takes time.

I've decided not to beat myself up about not getting to gym. It's just not possible - there isn't always time and I don't have someone to look after Zee - and ontop of it all, I'm sick, so I shouldn't be working out. You still beat yourself up about the money though, don't you ?


Zack with Cameron and Cathy (family visiting from Cape Town)


Zack taking a nap on his great Aunt's lap. It's Oh So Comfy !!


Zack sleeps while mum and Aunty Shirl go for a walk next to the Thames

I'm hoping that more sleep and a more sedate pace of life, will help me get back up and running soon.

cast communique 2

Yesterday we went for a check-up at the Royal, with our pretty Spanish Orthopedic surgeon. She is happy that Zack is making good progress and we will be back on the 19th of October to have his cast removed, and another x-ray done. The cast hasn't moved, which means that it's in a good position. Zack hasn't been in pain (that we can see) since last Saturday, so all is well.

I've been working like a mad thing this week, so we haven't had as much time together as Zee would like. It's always a toss-up between being too involved with your child and teaching it to play independently. But that is now done, and we are all looking forward to two weeks of quality time with his Great Aunty Shirley. She arrives tomorrow morning from South Africa.

In an attempt to get on top of the weaning issue, we have bought three books :
Gina Ford (evil queen of baby routines)
Annabel Karmel (baby food guru)
NCT - first foods and weaning

We hope to establish some good eating habits with the help of these. It all seems like an enormous challenge - I really don't want to be fighting with Zack about getting him to eat... it seems that you either have an "eater" or a "sleeper", is it possible to have both ?

six months means half way to 1

Zack is now six months old. what happ'ned ?

He has been joined in the last week, by three new friends :

Alexandra Andrews born last Tuesday. Congratulations to Yunhui, David and little Eppie


Timothy Bray on Sunday 24th Sept - Congratulations to Jenny & Richard

and Stephanie Bayley Dickinson also, on Sunday 24th Sept. Congratulations to Theresa and Dave.

cast comunique 1

Had an appointment at the Royal London's fracture clinic with the orthopedic surgeon. She tried to put the wind up me saying that Zack might need to go for a general anaesthetic today so that they can fit a new cast. That was completely out of the blue ! (I'm not sure why people do this... read on). Two staff members looked at his X-rays and then we were whisked off to the plaster room where they replaced his 'half cast' with a complete one. We even got to choose the colour and design - in an NHS hospital. Sadly the football motif was the only one not in stock (yeah, Keith and I, the last of the great footie fans), so I went for blue which won't show up the poo. The new cast goes as high up the leg as possible and back down to the toes (like the previous one). It is bright royal blue.

We went for an X-ray once the cast was hard, to see how the bone was sitting and whether or not they were going to have to consider the G.A. It didn't take long and we were back at the fracture clinic where they looked at the X-ray and decided it was all good to go. No need for the full body cast, no need for the G.A. Hhhmmm.... not sure what was going on this morning ?! Perhaps they make it their mission to scare the pants off you, so that if you are abusing your child, you don't do it again/ you stop. Lovely.

One of the girls from my NCT class lives a block and half from the hospital and we haven't seen one another over the summer, so Zack and I popped into Sandy's place for a visit with her and little Cloe. Cloe and Zack are exactly one month apart in age (she is one month older). We had a fun time - Cloe is a delight - just as full of smiles as Zack. It was wonderful to be in a home with lots of laughter and giggles, considering how delicate I'm feeling.

I had a wisdom tooth extracted yesterday at noon - it only took 1 minute and 20 seconds to take out (I was amazed - I'd been watching the clock), and I was free to go home. Corne had been looking after Zack, so I headed back to pick the bub up. By last night my mouth felt like it had been hit with a baseball bat. And we had to be up and heading for the bus by 8:15am this morning. Yes, it's been a bit rough at Chez Guthrie of late.

I feel awful : zack in plaster

Zack rolled over off his changing unit yesterday morning, and fell onto the floor. I was standing right there, and had just turned to put his nappy in the bin. He cried and cried - he let me hold him for more than an hour while the crying came and went. I wasn't sure if he'd just concussed himself, or if there was something more serious because he could move his arms and legs, hands and toes, his head from side to side, and was quite lucid. A little later, I tried to see if he would stand supported on my lap, but he wouldn't put any weight on his left leg, and I thought it was looking a bit swollen (it is so hard to tell as his legs are so chubby), so I went off to A&E at the Royal. The girls there were very sweet, and said that it happens often. I felt just awful - so guilty for changing his nappy, AND I'd been saying that he needed to be watched on raised surfaces. Boy oh boy.

Initially they thought it might just be sprained... all the while telling me how often this happens. But once we'd been for a few xrays, they could see that he'd fractured his femur above the knee. Plaster is what they do and Zack now has a cast from his hip to his toes. Poor little guy! I feel just terrible, and keep contemplating all that he'll be missing out on in the next 6 weeks. He's been SO mobile lately, wriggling around, flipping himself over at every opportunity. Well, that's how it happened, but still... I feel just awful about it.

I was saying to Keith, that the upside is that Zack did it while I was looking after him, and not Keith. We both laughed, but it's true - I would have been angry and annoyed at Keith, whereas Keith is being very supportive. Still, I feel awful about it happening. I can't even say, "I wasn't there." I was. If I didn't feel guilty about being a mummy, I do now.

Zack is doing OK - despite being in pain last night, he slept well, and was chipper and his usual self this morning. He's frustrated that he can't roll over, so I'm spending more time 'supervising' and assisting play, but we'll take it a day at a time. Poor little chap.

zackapoopalopalous

We have had our first family holiday in Greece - on the island of Skiathos. Zack made his entrance, and hence the title of this entry, with a big BANG. He made the biggest poo in Zack-history, as we landed. I was wearing a white blouse. Once inside the terminal building, the queue to the ladies loo was a mile long, and there weren't any baby changing facilities, so I found a corner in the arrivals hall and stripped the boy down, and between Keith and I we managed to clean him completely. I am now a good boy scout - I am ALWAYS PREPARED! Only snag was that I usually expect my trousers / skirt to get trashed in the event, but this was a first for the upper garment of the mother. Thankfully our suitcase soon came off the carousel and I could slip out of the yellow number, and into something fresh. Oh the joys !

Despite advice to the contrary we pursued feeding Zack 'solids' while away on holiday: he had apple cereal most days (not always for breakfast tho), and some water. The package holiday people supplied a travel cot for the little 'un, and it was fine - except that he was right next to our bed, so we woke up with every noise he made. It wasn't the most restful time I must confess - Keith and I slept best when the other had taken Zack off for a walk. Note to self for future holidays : we MUST have a separate room for baby !



Greece's weather never fails to deliver so we all got a bit of sun, and I was a faithful lotion applier, and am very proud of myself. Zack is barely a different shade from when he departed, unlike Mum who has a bit of a tan and plenty freckles. Yes, freckles are something I want to save Zack from - well, certainly the kind of "sun damage" freckles that I have. He took a bit of convincing to wear his sun-glasses (Baby Banz) but we finally got him into them one afternoon and he seemed quite happy. The only hiccup was the nose pieces pressed into his face, and he had marks when we took them off - he doesn't really have a bridge yet, his nose is quite flat.



The trusty McLaren pram/buggy came everywhere with us... on and off every conceivable form of transport (except our scooter), and I confess it's looking a little dusty and bashed. It's quite resilient though, and everything still functions - we even dragged it backwards through the beach-sand (you'll find that it's easier to do this than to try and push). We discussed the merits of prams very briefly with Jackie and Claudio (mates that were already out there on holiday) - Claudio's boss has told him that she went through at least twenty different prams with her two boys. I find that very difficult to believe, but even if it's true, who in their right mind would spend in excess of £3000 on prams ? Maybe she would like to part with the 18 or so that she didn't like - I'm sure we can find a noble cause ? ! !

K appears in....

K is a letter that has appeared alot in my life during the past week: knackered, kold, keith, karnival, kids, kelly.

I came down with a cold on the weekend and it's steadily got worse until Tuesday when I emailed Keith at work and asked him, no begged him, to come home and take over from me. Zack was crying kontinuously through the day and wouldn't settle - No idea why ! ? My head was aching, my eyes were tearing, my ears were blocked from the sinusitis, and my ears were deaf. I felt awful and I was trying to get along with freelance work while Zack slept... not a chance. Thank goodness for knights-in-shining-armour aka Super Dad. Yes, you've read about him in an earlier blog.

I'm not sorry to say, but I crashed for four hours and when I awoke, Keith had fed Zee and the cleaning lady, Kristina (this is getting ridiculous), had kome and gone. Zack had continued in his un-settledness, which was also a relief I'm sad to say, because at one point in the afternoon I'd thought I was going nuts and it was all ME. Oh no, he was the same with Dad, so I'm not going barmy or knuts.

Monday was a bank holiday in the UK and this weekend was the Nottinghill Carnival. We've never made it, in seven years, so I suggested we go early and see what we could see. Keith took his camera and got some lovely shots of the parade. Zack was great and seemed to cope fine with the noise and throng. The street party was mashuga-wena (krazy) and krowded (oh, there's another k). We decided to leave mid-afternoon and escaped down to High Street Ken' for a coffee and chill-out before heading home.

Zack is still eating baby rice, but it's led to a bit of konstipation. The answer is apparently to get them to drink plenty of water. Ah huh. Well, if I could get him to not puke out the water after he's drunk it, that would be something. We'll pursue the 'solids' thing though, as I am feeling that my milk production is a bit down at the moment. I think it's the cold, and feeling a bit blue (is it those darn contraceptive pills I'm taking ? I just don't know), so it probably isn't as bad as I think it is - everything is just a bit magnified when you're not well.

Wednesday morning my brother's girlfriend arrived from Johannesburg, en route to the Isle of Man. Kelly and her mate Natasha are here on a flying sightseeing trip. Zack is always keen on new faces, so is all smiles and turning on the charm. Charlie will be pleased to hear that another earthling has been konquered !

Zack rolled over this morning for the first time. He's done plenty of twisty bits, but never managed to flip himself right over, just a leg here and an arm there. Now its the whole body. I put him down for his evening nap just now, and the next thing I heard loud squeals coming from his room. I assumed, incorrectly, that it's the usual "I've spat my dummy out and want it back Mum!!"-squeal. No, no. It's because he'd flipped himself over and then pushed himself right up to the top of his crib with his face on a teddy bear. Things are going to change from here on out... No more leaving him alone on raised surfaces.

Happy Birthday Nana !!

the Big 5

It's amazing to think that a mere 5 months ago our little bub had just made his way into the world. He has grown so much and is so alert, busy, wiggly and noisy now. This week he has started passing things (particularly the dummy) from one hand to the other. He can also grab hold of things far better. He is turning his head to see you when he knows you are near, even if it means hard-left or -right. These are all developmental stages that very normal. Although he's still chewing everything - including your hand if he can get it into his mouth - he isn't drooling quite as much as he was a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if this means better oral control or less drool manufacture, but it's a small thing.


We had solids on Thursday night for the first time - baby rice. The recommended technique is to feed milk as normal, then stop half way through, try a bit of the baby rice mixture, and then return to the milk for a complete feed. Zee is none too happy with having to stop in the middle of his meal. But after 2 nights seems to be understanding that the stuff on the spoon isn't yuck, it's OK and it doesn't hurt either.

He has grown out of most of the clothes he was given as a newborn and I've got 2 bags chocka-block full of babygro's, 2-pieces, et al. He's now wearing 6 - 12 month clothes depending on the make. With the weather changing and moving away from the incredible heat, I'm trying to make a last ditch attempt at wearing the more 'wintery' styled clothes he was given. Hmmm... it's great having a babe in the summertime, just that the winter clothes don't get worn. He'll have to hand them down to someone.

On Wednesday Zack and I joined Trish and Caitlin for the Bill Viola exhibition on Tooley street, near Tower Bridge. Trish is a photographic artist, so this was of interest to her as it's also visual media. We really enjoyed it, while the babes found it noisy and cavernous in the dark - all the better to make loud squeals in!


Reading matter
I'm still reading my book - Life after Birth. Last night's topic was the working mother and the author sought to argue against the current trend of mothers feeling guilty because they 'go back to' work. She argues that women have always worked before and after childbirth, it's just that since the 1800's society's structure has changed and total care for the child has been placed on the mother with the advent of the nuclear family. Hence a constructed guilt associated with not being "motherly enough" (defined by governments, child-rearing authorities, and the media) and the label of 'going back to work'. It's good food for thought - I need to keep reading and then put down my thoughts.

I hope to get back to the gym tomorrow for the first time since November! Fingers crossed.

NEW YORK back again

Our second week in NY was pretty uneventful, besides my birthday and the day after. In the late morning I took the sleeping cherub to Trump Towers for lunch - salad and a glass of bubbly. It is super tacky, but you gotta do it. My waitress was orange from fake tan lotion or too much sun-bed, with dazzling white teeth and designer black glasses' frames (and matching blue-black hair). After lunch we walked up to the John Lennon Memorial in Central Park because I've never seen the Dakota or the mosaic before. Droves of tourists came and went while I sat there with Zee - Strawberry Fields is a hot spot.


Belle offered to babysit Zee so Keith and I went out in the evening for supper. You'd think that we'd be waiting at the door in anticipation of Belle's arrival so that we could dash off and abandon Zack. Nope! Belle and Keith were hanging around waiting for ME to get back with Zack.
Then we needed to change... ... look decent... ... feel special... and THEN walk up to Central Park. We must've got up there around 8pm.

I really need to be more organised when it comes to baby-sitting - to use every single moment of the care, to be JUST THE TWO OF US. I'm so busy flapping and giving instructions, Keith's patiently explaining things, demonstrating swaddling techniques, that we've wasted half our 'away' time. Nuts! Oh well, I can only think that we'll get better at it. Perhaps what I should do is write down instructions, which I can just hand to the babysitter, rather than talk through it. So, you're probably wondering if we had a good evening, and the answer is yes. Keith took me to the Boathouse in Central Park. And yes, it has it's own gondola and gondoleer. There was a private party on that night, so they were ferrying out groups of about 6 - 8 people. It's a lovely setting next to the dark water, with the city reflected in it, over the trees. It was also strange to not be worrying about where the buggy was, if people were falling over it, whether Zack was going to wake up, etc. etc. We were home around 11:30ish I think. Ah, how things have changed. And yet, we had a wonderful bottle of Australian 2002 Shiraz, so maybe not everything has changed. We still enjoy a lovely bottle of wine together which is something we haven't done in a year.


On the day after my birthday Zack and I took the D train to Coney Island. I've been meaning to go for ages, and just never made the time. It's a bit like Brighton, except that it has real sand. It has a vintage theme park / funfair, and the roller-coaster dates back to the 1920's. We got ourselves a 'dog from Nathan's and took photos of the hassidic kids on a school outing.


Thursday was 'pack bags day' and back to JFK at 3:30pm. Our flight home went off smoothly and although Zack was a bit unsettled to start with, he went to sleep and I got some shut eye in the last 3 hours. I couldn't watch the films because the sound and picture quality was awful, and my screen kept switching off every 2 minutes. Ah, the joys of the basinette seats.

Well, it's all been good practice for flying to South Africa in November.
11 hours without Keith. I think it'll be OK.

lining up the babes

Cezanne and Zack have a moment's meditation.
Dig the beatific hand-thang

We spent the weekend in Naperville (the 2nd best place to live in the USA), Chicago with old friends - Ryan and Lanelle Lambert and their 7 week old baby girl, Cezanne. Although it was a whistlestop trip, we were able to find some relaxing time in with peeps we haven't seen in ages. Zack was spoilt to sleep in Cezanne's cot while she was in her moses-basket. Luxury! Cezanne is such a cutey - she put on some of her best faces here, and mum and dad insisted that we post the pics together...


Shots like this make you wonder what's going on inside ?
Or perhaps it's pretty obvious.

On a quick run through the photos we took, before going to sleep tonight, I found this one which is my personal favourite. Yes, I've tweaked it a bit, but it's still gorgeous. Thanks Keith - great shot !


click on the pic to see it full screen size

NEW YORK new york

We departed on Saturday the 5th of August, a week ago, so thankfully missed all the airline chaos in the UK. Zack slept for most of the flight to NY. Keith flew biz and they seated me in one of those mum & basinette seats, which was great. We had discussed swapping so that I could get some shut-eye but it all worked out fine - I'm finding that those little fabric eye-masks really do the trick and they weren't keen to have Zack in Business Class.


Rockafeller Centre is not too far from "home" in New York, and we loved the shade and the fountains.

Last week was spent walking around alot of the city. We tried to get into the Guggenheim Museum, but they don't allow strollers into the gallery, only the foyer. Sheesh, how annoying ! Well, the place is being renovated outside, so there wasn't too much to photograph. It meant we got to walk the 30 blocks back to the hotel, rather than go straight back on the bus. We had time after all. I started walking back along Madison as there is so much to see on the boutiques and specialist shop windows. It gets a bit boring though, so I walked another block down to Lexington and the rest of the way home. You pass through an area that's all exotic antiques, hair dressing salons and nail bars. More to see.

We've been pretty brave - took the pram down into the subway (not nearly as easy as London), took the NJ bus from the Port Authority on 42nd to Jersey Gardens outlet mall (excellent bargain shopping), took the bus up to the Guggenheim (had to fold the stroller, and have Zack on my lap surrounded by my belongings), and necessarily a cab or six (they are dirt cheap). We visited FAO Schwartz and bought a smashing gift for a mate. More about that in a future blog. Did all 8 floors of Bloomingdales. We also love Starbucks, so end up there at least once a day.


a police officer is happy to pose for a photo outside St Patrick's Cathedral.

Zack has charmed his way from SoHo to the East Village. Everyone comments on how big he is, what a cute smile he has, and his general demeanour. What a delight ! It certainly has made travelling easy - he disarms people with his smile. And it's free ! I catch him smiling at people before they've even made eye contact with him. It would be wonderful if he could stay so sweet. How do you protect your child - keep them innocent, contented, blissfully unaware of the nastiness in the world ? It can't be done. I suppose the next question is, how do you help them cope with it all, and retain their true character / nature, able to blossom despite it all ? 42.

rellies rellies everywhere

Zack has been completely swamped with love and attention these past two weeks. First Granny arrived from Johannesburg, and then six days later, aunty Sally and little Sienna arrived. What a great time they've all had together. Granny baby-sat Zee while Mum and Dad went out TWO NIGHT IN A ROW ! what freedom. How very strange.



It was so good to spend quality time with Sienna too, as I haven't met her yet - she was born in November, so is 9 months old already. She and Zack are almost the same size, and certainly the same weight. The big difference is the development – she is far more advanced in motor skills (gross and fine), speech, appetite, mobility and cognition than Zack. I am keen to see what the next 5 months hold for our little chap having seen his cuz in action.

Sleep depro is ongoing. Zack seemed to be doing better, but then we moved him into the lounge so that our guests could have his room. And it all started up again. Thankfully it's not gone back to the 2.5 hour rotation, but it has meant getting up a number of times in the night to put the dummy back in his mouth.

4 months today !

tonight Zack and I celebrated his 4 month birthday with a trip into town - sweat sweat - to go and meet an old friend of mine, Jo. We haven't seen one another in almost a year, so it was introductions all 'round, and then Z kept himself entertained while Jo and I caught up on one another's news. He has discovered his hands, and I think he's got teeth on the way as he is chewing both hands simultaneously and drooling incessantly.

Zack has been sleeping quite well, despite the awfully hot weather. He's managing to do 6 hours with a little persuasion, and has even gone to 7 on one occasion. All hail the father tho', as the mother is too knackered to bother and is just as happy to get up and feed as to get up and replace dummy. Keith's latest suggestion is that we try and get him to sleep from 11pm until 7pm. This would be very, very nice. I don't know if it's possible - one can only try.

He seems to have grown again suddenly. His little head seems bigger, and his body seems longer in the torso. Every now and then I have moments when I think, "Oh wow, he's changed again." It's all happening at such a pace right now. Another thing he does alot of is wave one hand up and down, as if seeking to find something by bumping into it. He isn't too sure about clasping, but prefers to 'rake' and drag whatever he has managed to clasp towards his mouth. This is seldom successful, as he drops it en-route, or it isn't the right way 'round and bumps him in the head. So frustrating, but he perseveres with delightful heavy breathing - the sign of true concentration.


On Saturday Granny arrived from Johannesburg and we all drove out to the airport to meet her. Lots of excitement!

Sunday was aunty Elly's birthday party in Victoria Park, and it was great for Keith to meet little Ruby and little Anokye, as he'd missed the reunion being in NY on business. He and Matt got talking cameras, but not before firing off a good number of shots. We are STILL waiting for the fabulous lens - who knows how many more months ? !

little Anokye fast asleep

Kwame & Anokye, Keith & Zack (what's with the face dude ?)

farewells and welcomes

I join a group of mum's for bible study every Thursday morning in the Canary Wharf area. It has only been running for about 6 months but we've all benefited immeasurably from the group. Sadly one of the girls is moving back to Australia with her husband and little girl. Last Thursday was their last time with us, so we had a picnic in the park. As tends to happen, Cindy and Kelvin were at the doctor on the morning of the picnic because Esther was running a temperature. You wouldn't guess so from the photos...


cindy and little esther at their farewell picnic


the gaggle of mums and tots in Limehouse Park

Zack's great uncle Derk Jansen was passing through London on Saturday morning, en route back to Vancouver, so we drove out at dawn to meet him. We spent a good 4 hours just hanging out and talking about his trip to SA with the family (who are still there for another week or so). He also showed us his grandfather's passport which he'd got from Keith's mum while in Johannesburg - this is Keith's great-grandfather, so Zack's great-great-grandfather. He was born in Rijsenburg which is just outside (south-east) Utrecht. We were interested to see the vital statistics - height, eye colour, etc. I must confess that it's the first time I've seen a strong resemblance in the eyebrows... Keith and grandpa have an eyebrow thing going on.


a piece of family history


Uncle Derk and Z get acquainted