Amy's first Christmas

Why spend all that money on presents when the wrapping is far more interesting. First Christmas went well apart from...

Donna's dad arrived with a cold which we both caught, lucky Amy seems to have escaped so far. Donna's mum got stuck for the night in Wellington due to fog, then the car broke down on the way to the airport to pick her up. Looking forward to a good start to the New Year!

Eight Months

Eight months old and suddenly everything is happening. In the space of just over a week she's cut her first tooth, learned how to crawl properly (as opposed to dragging herself along using her elbows as here,) learned how to pull herself up to stand, cut her second tooth and started babbling.

At this rate she'll be walking next month. Our litle girl is growing up so fast.

Looking very pleased with herself having just pulled herself up.

 

Seven Months

Out and about at the local park last weekend - before winter came back. Her latest trick is getting up on her knees. She's still getting her balance and sometimes keels over sideways, even back onto her back, but she's getting very mobile, shuffling around, and trying to grab everything shiny to put in her mouth - just like a magpie.

The cat loves to sit nearby, but if she gets too close she gets her fur pulled. She gets annoyed but knows better than to bite or scratch.

Six Months

Six months already. Where did time go?

24 Weeks

Apologies to our regular readers for a lack of posts recently - where does time disappear to now? Cradle cap much better, hair growing back, and a new trick - rolling over, so now every time we put her on her back she rolls onto her front and just loves this position.

18 Weeks

Poor girl has cradle cap, hair is falling out, and she has a cold. Apart from that, she's all good!

17 Weeks

16 Weeks

What more can I say?

Three Months Already

Amy in her favourite sleeping position at just over 11 weeks. At her 12 week weigh in she was 11lbs 10oz, and getting a bit heavy to carry. Below, a few days later, the first snow - the day after the coldest June day ever recorded in Christchurch.

Ten Weeks Old

...and growing rapidly. Almost 10 lbs at the last weigh in, probably well over now. She's already grown out of all the premature baby gear and the 0000. She's just fitting the 000 still, but the amount she's feeding, she'll soon be out of that too. Trying to make up those extra 5.5 weeks. The newborn nappies used to look huge on her, and now she's onto the next size up.

5th May

Here's one from St Patricks day - 1 day old just retrieved from Donnas mums camera. That really flat head has improved a lot since then, see below taken on 24th April - the day after her due day, and 29th April.

Four weeks old

No posts for a week? Well, getting used to being a full time parent is hard for both of us - we've had no little siblings or nephews and nieces to practise on. We've had plenty of long nights, not exactly sleepless, but certainly sleep deprived already, with no doubt many more to come. Here she is at 29 days - obviously a day time photo as she's fast asleep! Apart from that, we seem to be really busy with her appointments - midwife, Plunket Nurse (Health Visitor equivalent,) doctor for immunisations, specialist to look at her head.... Wouldn't miss it all for the world now though.

Happy Easter

It's been a manic few days. Here we are on 4th April, still in Wellington, doing our usual thing, dad beginning to get the hang of bath time. Then suddenly, on Thursday morning, they told us at 8.45 that out plane was leaving Christchurch at 9.30 to take us back. We had to hastily go and pack then wait around till about 12.00 when we finally left.

Same way back, with Amy in an incubator, and two nurses with us. Donna was given a room at the hospital so she could feed round the clock, so out came the feeding tube. She's gaining weight well, now well over 6lbs. Here she is on Easter Saturday - her last night in hospital. What a great Easter present.

Finally home in her own clothes and her own bed - well bassinette.

Flying to Wellington

For those of you who, like me, don't really want to look at endless baby photos, this is how we got to Wellington. Donna being transferred from air ambulance to ambulance, and below, our own private plane. Apart from the people in shot - the two pilots, technician and Donna, there was just me and a midwife also on board.

 

3rd April Still in Wellington

Amy continues to progress. Now rapidly gaining weight - almost up to 6lbs. Yesterday moved to a non-thermal cot - keeping herself warm all by herself, and umpteen layers of clothes. Still not fully mastered the art of feeding herself yet though. The 'neuro team' came through today though and said they would have a look at the shape of her head in 2.5 months, so that haas to be a good sign - it's just going to take longer than we thought.

30th March

Still steady progress, starting to take the bottle as well, but always runs out of energy before she's finished the full feed. Hopefully within a few days the tube will be gone. You never know we may even be heading back to Christchurch soon. It would be good to be home for Easter.

Tiny fingers hold onto dad. Below, clean nappy and a full stomache, what more could a girl want.

Two weeks old today

Looking a lot better, and beginning to get the hang of feeding. They will try to bottle feed tonight, and if successful, the feeding tube will soon be able to be removed.

28th March

We have had several bits of good news in the last two days - she has come off the CPAP again, her feeds have been reduced to four hourly from three, and the real biggy, she has finally surpassed her birth weight - they normally lose weight initially it seems.

Day 9 & 10

Back on the CPAP - it puts air under slight pressure into her nose. SHe's had a few episodes where her heart rate suddenly drops right down then comes back up almost immediately. It seems to be breathing related, and this helps. Her lungs shouldn't be breathing air for another 4 weeks yet. Below, after an exhausting attempt at trying to feed.

It appears we're not going back to Christchurch this week at least.

Amy's First Bath

Day eight, and looking so much better, time for her first bath. Feeding tube still up the nose. Finally dressed and looking like the Michelin man, and ready for her cot - no more incubator.

20th March

Our little baby girl Amy was born prematurely at 7.55 am Friday 16th March in Wellington Hospital (Christchurch was full,) weighing a mere 2.3 kg (about 5lb 1oz in old money.) Donna is being discharged today, but Amy will be in an incubator until she gets a bit bigger. Unfortunately due to a very traumatic and prolonged OP (wrong way round) delivery she has a bit of an elongated head. This will soon

go back to  normal we're told. In these first two shots she is just 20 minutes old

After 27 hours, she's looking better but is hooked up to monitors, a feeding tube through her nose and an IV drip in her arm (hence the bandage.)

These other three are taken on her 4th day, after her IV had been removed. Shortly afterwars she had a breathing tube inserted as she was tending to slow down a bit too much at times. This should be gone soon.

Quake Again?

Thankfully not. Time to get some of those insurance premiums back by getting quake damage sorted - now we can't use the drive for a month. We have passed a milestone though - over 10000 quakes  since Sept 2010. The last big ones, a 5.8 and a 6 were on 23rd December - the first as we were heading for the departure gate for our flight to Auckland. We did eventually manage to get out that day - seven hours late, after the airport was evacuated and closed for three and a half hours.

Cape Foulwind - near Westport, West Coast

February 2012, a trip to the coast to support friends doing the Buller Half marathon. I hadn't entered as I hadn't been doing any long runs, and Donna not for obvious reasons, but the six we were staying with were all in, and one even took out the male 51-55 first prize, and I made the mistake of running with him the following day thinking he'd be tired!

Waiheke Island - New Year

 We managed to get a bit of walking in despite the weather, and even got a few blue sky moments, however the swimming and beach moments were few.

Our home from home for three nights, there were also lovely gardens, a walk to the beach, a communal kitchen and a conservatory where we could sit and read and listen to the rain. And no telephone or cellphone reception, but only ten minutes walk to Oneroa village