I just wanted to drop by & wish everyone a very merry christmas.
Jack is still awake & I'm going to read him 'the night before christmas' shortly before he goes to bed. This christmas is going to be the best ever.
Wherever you are & whatever you are doing over this holiday period I wish all the very best to you & your loved ones.
Good evening peoples, yes I know i haven't posted for a while but what are ya gonna do about it!
Since my last entry I have returned to work after having nearly 3 weeks off with my bad throat & work is still the same old crap with the same old crappy managers who have no idea how to actually do our job so they bumble along in their cosy little offices making changes to our jobs that have only 1 outcome....they have now pi**ed off most of the staff so we are now looking for other jobs. I would say if we all go they will realise the error of their ways but I really don't think they will, they appear far too stupid.
Jack has got a lousy cold at the moment with a bad chesty cough so we have 2 lots of medicine to try & get him to take several times a day. I'm asthmatic & sorry to say it seems that Jack has inherited a weak respiratory system (sorry son!). Poor little jack spends most of the day screaming & crying because he has no way to express how he's feeling. Those of you with kids will know it also means most of our clothes are covered in baby snot, oh the joys of parenting!!
Over the last few weeks Jack has taken the odd step here & there but yesterday he walked across our living room unaided. We have bought him a walker for christmas but it converts to a bike so it won't be completely useless come christmas day. He still stumbles & falls on his butt a lot but he can walk quite well, I am so proud of him, a few weeks ago my mum told me if he was walking within 6 weeks he would have beaten me so already my son is better than his old man.
We went to see my mum a couple of weeks ago, while we were there woolworths had a photographer in doing childrens photo's so we arranged for my sister to leave her 2 boys with their grandparents so we could get Jack together with his cousins for a nice photo. We're going to get the picture framed for my mum, I have tried scanning it so we can have a copy & also email it to my sister but the picture is too big for my scanner so I need to scan it in 2 halfs when I get chance & photoshop it. My sister has bought my mum a session with a photographer and she has decided she wants to have her picture taken with her 3 grandsons so after christmas they are all coming over to coventry for the photo session, can't wait. Its so nice to have all of us together but we rarely get the chance these days.
Not a lot else has happened ( my son walks & i make it sound like nothing much is happening here...what an idiot), Nic got to meet Gordon Ramsay at waterstones this week, I have bought her his latest book for christmas but i couldn't get time off work so she took it to get signed. Nic drools every time she see's him on tv but i can cope with that, if Nigella Lawson came to do a book signing in coventry i would DEFINITELY be phoning in sick so I could go. Apparently there was a massive queue so they ended up giving out tickets so not everyone got in to see him, we were hoping to be able to get a picture of Jack & Gordon but as it was so bloody cold Nic's dad took Jack home, still at least he has met Bart Simpson!!!
I hav added mostly new photo's of Jack but have also included a picture from back in june, in the june picture he is sat on the same tigger he is sitting on by the christmas tree. Thought you might like to see just how much he has changed in 6 months.
If I don't manage to update my journal before christmas I hope you all have a fantastic time... VampJack x
I have to say Thank You to Lynbo ( http://journals.aol.co.uk/lynnandkeith55/iquit/ ) for this...enjoy!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1119200879
Its not even december yet & already i'm getting sick of the xmas adverts. Don't get me wrong, I love xmas but i hate when the adverts start 2 months before the big day, it takes away some of the magic.
This week at work they finally let us know wether we will get the holidays we requested during xmas, we can request holiday during the xmas period but they won't confirm until about this time who has got what they wanted. Most of us have got between xmas & new year off but not xmas eve, according to the bosses most of our work will be xmas eve morning so we can ask for half day holiday & we may get it. But there are 3 people in my team who have been given xmas eve off, all of which requested the holiday a lot later than myself & at least 3 other people so we're not too happy. 1 person is due back from maternity leave so they have let her have the day off as otherwise she would have to come in for 1 day, another booked a holiday to lapland a few months ago so has asked for the day off & got it, the 3rd person we don't know what reason they have given for allowing her the time off. We can all understand the reasons for letting these people have the day off but why grant holiday to some people then tell those that requested it much earlier that they can't have the same, it is not fair. Those of us that didn't get the day could easily have made holiday plans but didn't because we were waiting to find out if we had got the time off so why can someone else just book a holiday & be given what they want?? Its just another in the long line of complaints at work at the moment, my manager plays favourites far too much but as the md seems to think she can do no wrong we get nowhere by complaining.
Last week I was told i would be doing a certain job that would have meant much more phone work, because I have had a bad throat for a few weeks i asked if i could split the phone work with my usual job but was told no, so i called in sick on friday because my throat is so sore i physically cannot be on the phone all day. No doubt when i get back i will have a 'letter of concern' or even a stage 1 disciplinary for attendance as this is my 3rd period of sick leave within 12 months, there are other people at work who take far more time off than i do but they seem to get away with it, its not like i hadn't given my boss a chance to assign me work that would have meant i could continue to work while my throat gets better.
Anyway enough bitching about work. Jack has been a little off colour the last coupe of days, he doesn't seem to have his usual energy during the day & at night he is getting up about 3 or 4 times ( so we are both like zombies during the day too ). I hope whatever is bothering him is gone in a few days, next weekend we're supposed to be going to my mum's & having his picture taken with my 2 nephews, they adore him but we don't get to see them very much as they live a bit too far to go for a day trip. My mum doesn't celebrate xmas due to her religious beliefs but the photo of her 3 grandsons will make a great present for her.
I struggle to find the time to update my journal these days & when i do i don't get much time so my entries are shorter than i intend them to be, kids...who'd have them!!
Lots of fireworks going off here last night, I think this year has been the loudest yet. I must admit though they did stop fairly early which was a blessing, we had put Jack to bed about 7.30 but he woke up & wouldn't go back to sleep because of the loud bangs.
This was Jack being very happy on a trip to Coombe Abbey yesterday, he did cheer up though but screamed all the way there & most of the way back.
Jack now has 5 teeth come through completely & 1 we can see will be through in the next couple of days, his favourite pastime seems to be using his teeth....normally on mummy & daddy!!
On friday when he was having a bath he stuck his tongue out & has been doing so ever since, he is the funniest little man I've ever met. Also the cutest, we have just been playing in the lounge, he kept laying on me & crawling over me when all of a sudden he just lay next to me & went to sleep. I wouldn't trade being a dad for anything in the world, its the best.
Happy Halloween everyone.
Today we got to go to work in fancy dress, I am just a big kid at heart so I loved it. Of course people expected me to go as a Vampire but I don't like to be too predictable. A lot of people thought it incredible that I drove to work like this but hey, thats all part of the fun.
No trick or treaters this year which is pants but it means we can scoff all the sweets. Hope you are all having fun today.
I am a passionate Ferrari fan so I desperately wanted Kimi to win the title, however I am not an idiot & so believed we could win the race but suspected that Alonso & Hamilton would be in the top 5 giving one of them the title, most probably Hamilton. How bloody wrong I was, it was a fantastic race & Kimi Raikkonen is now the Formula 1 World Champion of 2007!!
For the last few laps I was on the edge of my seat praying that Heidfeld & Kubica would not take each other off (which was looking very likely) as this would elevate Hamilton to a position where he would gain enough ponits to take the title. Thankfully they stayed on the track, Kimi won the race, Massa was 2nd in the other Ferrari & so Kimi won the title. My nerves were in tatters by the end of the race.
So it's now over for another 5 months, roll on 2008 & lets hope Kimi can do it all over again next year.
For the Lewis Hamilton fans out there, your day will come but until it does...WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!
Its been nearly a month since my last update, there just never seems to be enough hours in the day at the moment.
Today we went to visit my mum, it was great seeing Jack with his other nanny as we don't get to see her that often. My mum absolutely adores all 3 of her grandsons & to see her happy getting to play with Jack is brilliant. Mind you, we went round the town to do a bit of shopping & loughborough is absolute pants now. Its all bloody mobile phone stores, charity shops & chain stores. It used to be a great little town with loads of independant stores that all sold different stuff & now there are so many shops standing empty & what is there isn't worth bothering with. I'm glad I moved away ( I know coventry isn't amazing but its a hell of a lot better than loughborough now ).
Not a lot else has happened over the last few weeks, I have been off work ill for the past week, I have been feeling lousy with headaches, sore throat, chesty cough, & other aches & pains. Turns out I have a chest infection, a few people at work have had the same & its not nice. Jack has also got a chest infection so while i've been off I have been looking after him rather than him going to nanny & grandads, although I'd rather neither of us were ill I have enjoyed spending time with my son. I hate having to go back to work now because I have enjoyed it so much, so if anyone out there knows of anyone that wants to employ me to work at home feel free to tell me!!! Alternatively if any of you feel like paying my bills so I can stay at home with Jack I would have no hesitation accepting your charity!!
Right gotta go, I need to watch the qualifying for tomorrow's brazzilian grand prix. In case any of you have been living in a cave for the last few weeks tomorrow is the final race in this years formula one season & we have no less than 3 drivers who could win the title, Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (McLaren but not for long I don't think) & Lewis Hamilton (McLaren). Lewis is in his rookie season & could be the first rookie to win the title since the start of the championship back in the 50's, Alonso is only 4 points behind so could quite easily spoil the party to join the elite group of drivers who have won 3 consecutive championships. I personally would like Kimi to win it for Ferrari but then I am biased & I don't care....GO KIMI!
I hope you are all having a good weekend, take care... VampJack x
VampJack is back......welcome to my new lair!!!
AOL well & truly screwed up my house move so I had to wait until this week to get my broadband back on, they very nearly lost another customer. The only reason I'm still with them is that I managed to speak to a customer service agent NOT based in india who actually knows what customer service is. When will companies realise that just because you can get some poor idiot in india to work for pennies does not mean customers will accept speaking to someone who can barely speak english, why do they think some companies have based a lot of there advertising around the fact that they have UK only call centres.
So on to all my news. The house move was a pain in the arse, it is a nightmare trying to move with a 6 month old baby who's teething. The first 2 days when we actually moved our stuff Jack spent with his nanny & grandad but after that it was a real pain trying to sort everything out with a screaming baby demanding attention every 2 seconds. The house itself is nice, we are no longer right near a railway so we don't the train noise all day & night, we also live away from a main road so we don't get to hear the sirens of police/fire/ambulance all night long. We have a bath which is a real luxury, sometimes it would be easier having a shower but we have really missed having a bath as the last house only had a shower. It is so much easier bathing Jack Jack without having to get his baby bath out, especially as he outgrew the baby bath a coupla months ago. He loves having a bath as well, he likes having more room to play & splash around.
While I have been away from j'land Jack Jack has learnt to walk with the aid of his Tigger ride on toy, he holds on to the front of Tigger & walks pushing it along. He is so fast when he's crawling as well, his favourite things to do at the moment is either playing with any wires he can find so we have to watch him all the time, the other thing is switching off the Sky box (not a bad thing sometimes but a pain if something good is on).
The cats are getting very wary of him now, he hasn't quite grasped the concept of stroking the cats, he thinks he's supposed to grab a handful of fur & hold on tight. Angel tends to stay away from him when she can, Bailey on the other hand is a bit more tolerant & lets Jack grab him sometimes.
Jack Jack no longer gives me gummy smiles when I get home from work, on 31st august his first tooth came through, quickly followed by the 2nd & we think the 3rd is about to put in an appearance. My son now has teeth! Jack has taken to using his dummy again, he did stop for a while but I think he just loves chewing it to be honest. Occasionally we get bitten, he seems to think it great he can now bite anything in the house. At meal times we either have to take it in turns eating or we sit him in his high chair between us with his own dinner. If we don't do this he stands in front of us with mouth wide open like a baby bird expecting to be fed, he also tries to grab our dinner so meal times can be real fun in our house at the moment.
BIG NEWS:
Jack Jack can now say dada. I was so emotional the first time he said it. The novelty seems to have worn off with him now but for a few days no matter what he was doing he would be shouting dada dada dada all the time. I have captured this most treasured of moments on film, i think i must have shown it to nearly everyone i've talked to at work but what the hell, its a proud moment in a dads life. Nic has been trying to get him to say mama, her mum has been trying to get him to say nanny & grandad has been trying to get him to say grandad (i think he might struggle with this one) but his daddy is his first word & no one can ever take that away from me.
It seems that in the last month Jack has made so many advancements, he really is learning so much with every new day. Can you believe he was 7 months old last sunday? Just this last week he has learnt to clap his hands & he can now wave (as opposed to randomly throwing his arms around like all babies seem to do). The nights have been a pain since he's been teething as he was back to getting us up 2 or 3 times a night, luckily the last few nights he has slept through until at least 7am and he even goes to bed earlier now as well. Nic gets up early for work and Jack has been waking up just as she's about to leave so I get an early morning wake up call each day, its not so bad though, she only works 3 and a half days a week so I get a bit more sleep on fridays when she doesn't have to get up for work.
We've been into town today to try & get Jack some winter clothes, we have a few bits but he really needs some proper thick winter coats & jumpers before the weather turns any colder. The range of boys clothes is appalling. If you have a little girl you are spoilt for choice but if you have a little boy....tough! We have been in bhs, woolworths, adams, primark & boots. They all have only a small selection of baby clothes for boys, tomorrow we are going to go to matalan to see if we can do better there, asda is nearby so we will no doubt try there as well. Okay I know that people say you can dress girls up more than boys but honestly, do they really think we will buy only a couple of items of clothing to last the whole winter? Or maybe they think what few items they have are so good that we will want to buy loads of the same thing so he can wear them each day, if so they are dead wrong, who the hell designs these clothes. I think some ceo with no morals has found that he can get clothes designed for next to nothing if he sponsors the local mental institutes.
Anyway enough of my incessant babbling. I hope you are all well, I will have to catch up with all your journals over the next week or two. Enjoy the rest of your weekend & I hope you like the new pics...VampJack x
My broadband is still not connected at my new house & my works computer resource policy forbids me from using my pc to update any blogs...but today I really need to express my grief over the loss of my friend. I wrote this entry last night at home & today I really don't know why I came to work.
Today is a bad day, I found out a friend of mine died yesterday morning. Pepsi Tate was the bass player in the rock band Tigertailz. I met Pepsi years ago when I was just another fan & we became friends. He would always put my name on the guest list for Tigertailz’ shows all over the country, one time when I went along to the soundcheck during the day he asked if I was coming to the show that night, when I told him I couldn’t afford it he told me not to be stupid because I’m always on the guest list, I explained it was the taxi fare home that was the problem. I did go to the show that night, Pepsi had insisted on it, he gave me the taxi fare home himself.
Each time they toured I would go to as many shows as I possibly could, and I was always on the guest list & each night I would get to go backstage after the show. Pepsi always recognised me every time I turned up to the first night of the tour, sometimes he’d write letting me know about the tours in advance so I could let him know which shows I would be at.
I have not spoken to Pepsi for a while as we lost touch but he still remembered me when I got in touch a couple of years ago. We’d talk on the phone sometimes & we’d write occasionally (this was at a time before email made keeping in touch easier) but I would not consider it a close friendship. This made it all the more surprising today when I heard the news, I was stunned & had to take some time out from my desk to gather my thoughts. I feel so empty, I have lost some very close friends in the past so I am no stranger to grief but today I feel a great sadness. Pepsi was larger than life on stage & that is how I will always remember him, but I will also remember him as a Pepsi Tate the man. Pepsi died yesterday morning after losing his fight against pancreatic cancer.
It is difficult for me to share my feelings sometimes but I feel so emotional at the loss of my friend that if I don’t open up to someone I think I will start to slip back into depression. I suffered with depression for years but have been okay for some time now & do not want to go back to the fragile person I was when my depression was really taking over my life.
Pepsi you will be missed by a great many people. Goodbye my friend.
19th September 2007
Tigertailz
Pepsi & Jay
My journal entries will resume once my broadband is up & running, today I don't care what my bosses may say about me updating the journal. Some things are just too important
Pepsi live 2007
So here we are, our last weekend in this house. On tuesday we collect the keys for our new house just a few minutes down the road. The new house has a small front room & kitchen, we would have preferred a bigger place but it has 3 bedrooms which we wanted & it also has a bath!! There is gonna be a fight for that bath on our first night there as we have spent the last 18 months in this house with only a shower. The road we will be living on is a dead end so it will be quieter with not having to put up with cars racing past at all hours. We also have a small conservatory which will be nice in the summer, unless of course next summer is like this..a complete washout. We have 2 cats which is always a problem when it comes to finding a house to rent but getting rid of them was never an option, we will just have to make the best of what we have. And at least we have not had the terrible floods that a lot of people have had to endure this summer, sometimes we moan about not being able to afford to buy our own house or not being able to rent places we like because they won't accept pets but we have been very fortunate this year. I would be absolutely devastated if I had lost what so many others have, my heart goes out to everyone effected by the floods. I was never the sort of person who attached themselves to any place, to me if anything had happened to my house or flat I would have just moved on without a moments hesitation but having Jack has changed my outlook on life completely.
Talking of my little Jack I hope you like the new piccies, as you can see he really is a little devil now! He is an absolute nightmare, we can't take our eyes off him for a second as he is always crawling everywhere, chewing everything. Ever since he could crawl properly he has been trying to stand up on his own ( and consequently fallen over so much ) & he tries walk which ends up with him doing a strange hybrid mix of walking & crawling on his hands & feet. He can pull himself up on his own now (as you can see in the piccies) & he manages to stand for several minutes, all he needs to do now is develop his balance & he will be walking (and then the fun starts). Jack can also sit up properly on his own now, he just gets very frustrated that he can't stand unaided. Today we were in the post office & there was a little girl in a pushchair next to us, Jack & this little girl were staring at each other (Jack is definitely a ladies man already) & we got talking to the girls parents, she is 10 months old (the girl, not her mum) & she is so much smaller than Jack. When he was born he was tiny but he seems to be growing at a rather accelerated rate. He was 6 months old on thursday this week, I can't believe it has been so long, it seems like only a few weeks ago since I brought him home from hospital. My little boy no longer seems like a baby, we have so many photo's & video's of him but I wish I could have captured every minute of him growing on film. it seems like such an old cliche that everyone says how fast kids grow up but it is so true.
Nic has worked full time over the last 3 weeks but we now have 2 weeks off so we can move & have time to sort the new place out before having to go back to work. When she goes back she will be working 3 & a half days a week, she has not been as grumpy as I thought she would be with going back to work. It has tired her out having to get up early every day but its been the same for me as I have been taking her to work nearly every day. I feel so drained that if we hadn't got the time off work for moving house I think I would have had tp book some time off. I have been getting up at 6:30am every day, taking Nic to work, dropping Jack off at her parents & going to work myself, I really don't like getting up so early every day.
I will be sticking with aol when we move (stop laughing at me, sometimes its better the devil you know), hopefully they will get the line active quickly, I really don't want to be spending too long on dial up waiting for my broadband connection. Dial up is such a pain in the ass, its too slow & you have to be so much more cautious with regards to surfing the net. I used to work for ntl (please do not send me hate mail, I hated them as much as any customer ever could) & used to regularly have people ringing up complaining about premium rate phone charges because they used a dial up connection for the internet & didn't take care what sites they went on. I will let you know how the move went once my broadband connection is back up & running.
I have just finished reading Robert Rankin's The Toyminator which is a great read, very funny & it raises some serious questions (where do all the chickens come from?), he has a new book out called The Da Da De Da Da Code which I intend getting very soon. I have just got Born To Be Mild by Dave Armitage & The Gospel According to Chris Moyles, will let you know if they are any good. Also not sure if I have already shared this with you, but if you like a good thriller then you might want to check out Alex Barclay's Darkhouse, it is a great book & I will be checking out her follow up novel The Caller soon.
Well it's time to say goodbye for now, I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine which has made a rare appearance this weekend....VampJack x
Today is the last day before Nic goes back to work, temporarily she is having to go back to her old hours starting at 7am. I'm on lates this week so I can look after Jack until I go to work when one of our friends is going to be looking after him, when Nic's parents are back from holiday later this week they will be doing the babysitting job. I'm glad for Nic that she's going back, she's been getting fed up with staying at home but she will be more tired than normal so she'll be short tempered this week, joy of joys. Having said that, as I will be getting up early to look after Jack & then working late I will also be a grumpy ba$**rd this week. So the message here is ..... don't come visiting this week!
Last night Jack was crying in his sleep, all I wanted to do was pick him up & cuddle him but he was fast asleep so I didn't want to wake him. It broke my heart listening to him crying, what was he dreaming about, the farley's rusk factory burning down, prohibition on milk, ferrari not winning....it was so sad.
Nanny came to visit yesterday, I wish she could come over more often to visit but as we don't have room for her to stay its a little difficult. We have seen 2 houses in the last couple of days that would be suitable for us, we have another couple in the pipeline for this week so hopefully by next week will know where we are going.
Right i'm off cos Nic wants a paper today, she wants the Bananarama cd in the Mail & i desperately need a coffee.
Take care...VampJack x
Today when I got to work I thought it was going to be a very bad day....the coffee machines weren't working.
Turns out this was something to do with the fact that we had no running water. We had an engineer out who blamed it on the water company who then snet someone out who blamed it on our building owners. We were advised by our fearless leaders that it would get resolved....then a little later we were told that if we needed to go to the toilet we could go home & wouldn't have to come back!! Why they didn't just tell us to all go home I don't know because obviously we all did. So today I had half a day off work & it was great.
I got to spend more time with Jack which is always a bonus (honest, it is....even when he is screaming). A friend from work has seen pictures of Jack but hasn't seen him since I took him into work when he was less than 2 weeks old so we went round to see her today so she could have a 'squidge' as she puts it. I think she's getting broody now!
Little Jack is so fast now, he still can't quite coordinate himself enough to crawl on his hands & knees but he manages just fine pulling himself along. Once he does get the hang of crawling properly its gonna be a nightmare, nothing will be safe, least of all Angel. Jack adores Angel, he will watch our other cat Bailey but not the same way as he does with Angel.
I hope you like the new pics.....until next time take care..VampJack x
Today is a good day. Kimi Raikkonen has just won the british grand prix with Alonso 2nd so more points cut from Hamilton's lead.
I am really bored of listening to itv drone on & on & on & on & on about Lewis Hamilton. Today Kimi drove a great race to bring another win home for Ferrari. Ferrari seem to have well & truly bounced back from their recent slump which is great for the championship. This year looks to be a close fight between 4 drivers, usually by the halfway point in the season it is clearly between 2 drivers but this year we have Kimi, Fernando, Massa & Lewis all capable of winning this years championship.
I am looking forward to next weekend, Honda are having a charity open day at their Formula 1 factory in Brackley which I have tockets to. Nic is coming with me as she wants the chance to have a go in the F1 simulator. Jenson Button will be there as well as Anthony Davidson, Murray Walker, & loads more..including Jody Scheckter, Ferrari's last world champion before Schumacher. It should be a fantastic day.
I haven't had much time to update my journal recently so I apologise to those of you who have told me you need more entries. I just never seem to have enough time for everything these days, between looking after Jack, work, housework, & my limited social life I think I need about 36 hours in each day.
Jack is now sort of crawling, he either pushes himself along with his feet or pulls himself along with his hands but hasn't quite got the hang of using both together, although I think it is only a matter of weeks before he is crawling properly. He has progressed from milk to having 'mush' as well now. We have a freezer full of pureed veg & fruit for him, he doesn't like baby rice at all but give him apple puree or sweet potato puree & he will eat it all. Nic moans becasue when I feed him he doesn't make much mess but if she feeds him he gets covered in food, I've tried telling her Jack knows daddy is the boss but she doesn't believe me.
He has started waking more during the nights now, either 2 or 3 times between midnight & 8am he wakes up for a feed. I would love for him to go back to sleeping through the night completely but who knows when that will happen again. My friend at work brought her baby in to see us last week, she is gorgeous & I am so jealous because her daughter has slept through the night ever since she was born.
We are looking at moving house at the end of august when our tenancy ends as we only have a shower here & it is not big enough to be able to take Jack in the shower with us & he is very nearly too big for his baby bath already so we want a house with a bath. It would also be nice to have 3 bedrooms so we can have family come to visit & have somewhere for them to sleep instead of just having a few hours visit before they have to go home again. Moving is horrible so we will let my mum or Nic's parents look after Jack for a couple of days while we move. Nic will be going back to work next month as well so its all happening here.
Right better go before I get told off for not doing my jobs around the house!! Hope you are all well..take care & I will be back again (hopefully) soon...VampJack x
I will remember today as long as I live, today was my first Father's Day.
I was woken up this morning at 8.45 by my son giving me a slobbery kiss, Nic had got him up (considering its not a work day for me that was a massive surprise) & brought him in to see me with my card & presents. I got a small 'spaceform' glass plate with 'i love you daddy' etched on it, a framed daddy poem (Nic made the poem up, its great) with a picture of me & Jack the day he was born, it also has Jack's foot & hand prints around it. I also got a box of liquorice allsorts, will have to make sure I hide them or Nic will steal all the blue jelly ones wiv bits on...and she'll probably blame Jack for it.
When I was a kid I remember buying my dad loads of crap like socks, after shave, ashtrays..all sorts of crap really. I don't remember one year when I actually bought him something he would have really wanted but I now know what fathers day means & i expect Jack will buy me some crap over the years but you know what?.... it won't matter because i will love the fact that he has got me something. I will keep this years presents forever as they are the first ones & they mean more to me than if i'd have got a massively expensive pressie (although this doesn't mean i don't want him to buy me a lamborghini one year).
We all went to Nic's parents for dinner as her dad was doing a barbecue & very nice it was too. Had to be back by 5 though for the formula 1 (what, you really thought you'd get away with another race not being mentioned?, don't be silly). I am in awe of Lewis Hamilton's talent but I am sooo sick of itv mentioning him every 2 seconds. My beloved Ferrari' were better at this race than the last 2 but we still have a very long way to go before we're nicking the wins from McLaren.
Right well i'm running out of time now, got lots to do so i'll catch up with you all later...VampJack xx
Hello, is anyone out there or have you all gone away because I haven't put in an appearance recently?
It has been over a month since I last updated my journal, it wasn't a planned absence or anything it just kind of happened. I have been spending as much time as possible with Jack, that along with little excursions, work & keeping the house in a reasonable state has led to me having less time to myself & something had to give....in this case it was my journal.
So since I was last here quite a bit has happened. My sister, bro in law, 2 nephews & my mum came over at the beginning of may which was great. It's been quite a while since we were all together, even though it was just for mthe one day it was still nice. It was the first time my sister & her family had seen Jack, both my nephews were desperate to hold him but when my oldest nephew held him Jack screamed his head off so his younger brother didn't get a chance. My sister was in pain from a back problem but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of holding her new nephew, even my mum didn't get much of a look in with sis hogging the cuddles.
Jack has had his 2nd lot of injections last week, apparently he screamed quite a bit & that night he whinged a lot. He is growing so much now, when he's in the car seat it weighs too much for Nic to carry him more than a few yards. We're going to have to by a new car seat soon, his feet are nearly over the edge of the one we have. We bought him some Tigger trainers the other day, he's only 14 weeks old but we've had to buy him size 9-12 month trainers!!!
We went to my sisters for a few days the other week, she lives in Cranwell now cos her husband's in the raf & she's just been posted there. It's really nice & peaceful, even Nic said she wished we lived somewhere like that & she has always said she wouldn't want to live anywhere too quiet. While we were there Jack learnt how to push himself around using his feet (when he's lying on his back), he hasn't figured out how to use his arms when he's on his front so he's not crawling just yet but I don't think it'll be long. We'd leave the room for a minute with him lying under his play gym & when we went back he'd be across the other side of the room, definitely gonna have to watch out now. When he lays on his front he can push his bum up in the air but has worked out he needs to use his arms to move forward.
After that week off I was supposed to work bank holiday monday, I got to work only to be told by the manager on duty to go home. She was sat in her car in the car park because the security guard hadn't turned up so nobody could get in, we only work some bank holidays (we cover Ireland so if they don't have the day off we work) & obviously noone had thought to make sure the guard would be in to open up. The upside was that I got to spend the day at home, when we went in on the tuesday those of us that should ahve worked the monday asked about our day in lieu because we'd all made plans, we were hoping work would still give us the day in lieu because we had turned up for work even if they had to send us home. To our surprise they have said not only do we get the day off but they are paying us the overtime for monday too....bonus.
We are still having major problems with the big changes that have happened at work but this week it has got a lot better. I don't mind the problems though, it is frustrating when we can't provide the usual high level of service to our customers but it has made the job more of a challenge which in turn actually make sit more enjoyable because we don't get time to be bored.
I took my lieu day for the bank holiday last friday, Nic went with the girls to Alton Towers & I decided to visit my mum (which she'll never tire of as long as I take Jack), I also had time to go & see my best friend. It was great to be able to have a chat over a coffee & relax, even if he did ask me if I took sugar in my coffee & then twice put sugar in my cup after I told him I don't take sugar!! He has promised Jack he will take him to get his first tattoo when he turns 18, I guess this is payback for all the times I have wound my sister up by being the fun uncle who teaches my nephews bad habits & buying them drums. I am so glad the court case was sorted last year following my accident, if not I still wouldn't have a car so it'd be so much more difficult to go and visit my friends & family.
We had a little drama on sunday, Nic was sitting on the bed holding Jack when he suddenly wriggled free and fell onto the floor. Nic was absolutely horrified & was blaming herself, I told her that eventually something like that would happen because that's what babies are like but she was so worried he'd have to go to hospital. In the end we kept him awake for a couple of hours to make sure he was okay. He cut his mouth but only a little & he also had a big bump on his head but he is fine, the bump didn't even turn into a bruise. It still didn't stop Nic feeling guilty, she knows kids are going to do things like that but I guess if it was me holding him & it happened I'd be exactly the same.
Anyway I guess that's enough for my return to j'land, enjoy the new pics.....VampJack x
Please can you all include the following link in your journals, tonight Jack is spending the night with his nanny & grandad. This is the first night he has spent away from home & I miss him so much, every night when I get in from work he gives me a big smile.....Maddie's parents are not as lucky...please post this & add the profile to your myspace if you have one.
http://www.myspace.com/findmadeline
I can't even begin to imagine what Maddie's parents are going through. I'm not asking a lot but who knows, maybe by posting this as much as possible it may help to bring an end to this nightmare.
I didn't update my journal last weekend because I was suffering with man flu. because of my cold I didn't do much, went to see a financial advisor at my bank about investing my damages money from the accident, it's all going towards our move to Spain. it could still take years before the right opportunity comes along but we are doing everything we can to try & make the move happen earlier rather than later. My friend from work has just come back from honeymoon in Costa Blanca, she was staying near where I used to live & when she was telling me about it the other day I felt so homesick. I had gone on holiday to Spain when I was younger but had never thought about moving out there, then a few years ago I was unemployed & finding it really difficult to get a decent job in England. An opportunity arose for me to go & work in Spain so I took it, to me it was just a chance of a job. But after only a couple of days over there I felt as though I finally found where I belonged. Growing up we moved around a bit as my dad was in the army, because of this I never really thought of anywhere as 'home', until I went to work in Calpe. I don't know if you will be able to understand quite how I felt but suddenly I felt as though I had somewhere I belonged. If it wasn't for the fact that I got ripped off by the company I worked for I would not have come back, but then again maybe it was fate...maybe I was supposed to realise that's where I should be but had to come back & meet Nic ( who has always wanted to live in Spain ) & have Jack before finally making a permanent move from England.
But back to the present, we've had a major change at work & to be honest it has been better than I expected. The only downside is that my dept is the one chosen to assist everyone else when needed during the transition period, but even with this little pain there does seem to be a general feeling of optimism in the office. But for me its sick leave time, yesterday morning about 9 ish I suddenly got a massive thumping headache, I never said anything because i thought it would just go away but this morning the pain was so bad I felt really sick & my vision was a bit blurry so I phoned in sick. Sounds like it might be a migraine but I will wait before going to see the doctor because I have never had migraine's before now & i'm not one of these people who go to the doctors every time they get an ache or pain. I will see how I am in the morning & decide then wether I go back tomorrow or not.
Even though I have been in a lot of pain today it has been nice to spend more time with my little man Jack. He has grown so much & even now i sometimes look at him & have to tell myself that he really is my son. Every time I come home from work or if i've been in town he gives me a big gummy smile & it amkes my day. My sister is coming over on saturday with my bro in law, their 2 boys & my mum. It's going to be really nice having them all over, my sister & nephews have been dying to meet Jack & this is the first chance they've had to visit, I can't wait.
Thats all for tonight, better not spend too much time in front of the pc if I want this headache to sod off...take care all....VampJack x
Finally have time to update my journal. Since i was last here we have had a few parties to go to, lots of work & some good news.
Last saturday my friend from work got married & we went to the evening party, as all brides should she looked fantastic & happier than I think I have ever seen her. Unfortunately we couldn't stay too long because it was also Nic's mums 50th party. Yet again Jack was passed around everybody, we had some fireworks which he loved watching. Nic went out with her friend after the party so I brought Jack home & he went straight to sleep.
Jack's been really good the last couple of weekends, he generally sleeps for 6 or 7 hours before waking for another feed, friday night he went to sleep about 9.30pm & didn't wake until 5.15am. I am well impressed with his sleeping ability, during the day mind you he has been a bit of a screamy little bugger! Nic took him to the clinic on tuesday & he weighed 12lbs 2 ounces, what a little porker. On friday he had the first 2 immunisations & apparently apart from a scream when he was first stuck with the needle he was really good.
Yesterday my mum came over to see us, she spent the whole time looking after Jack & it was great to see him spenidng time with his other nanny. It's not too far for me to drive to loughborough and see my mum but I obviously have other things to do like housework & shopping so I can't go over every week & Jack see's Nic's parents nearly every week so i will try to let him see my mum whenever we can. I hadn't gone to see her before now because Nic won't go on the train, she says it's too much hassle with Jack because of everything we have to take. But this week I had my car sorted, it failed the MOT so I had to have a bit of work done to get it through, now though its all done.
Talking of my car the good news I had this week is that I should finally be getting a cheque for damages following on from my accident back in 2003 ( you may remember my entry last year when I finally had my day in court ). It's only taken about 4 years!! I have an appointment next saturday with a financial advisor at my bank, I want the money invested in the best possible way as this will form a very large chunk of capital to help us move to Spain. We have been spending more time looking at our options as we can see our dream becoming reality in the near future. It may still take a few years to find somehting we can afford & that suits our requirements but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Nic's parents are off to Mallorca next month & they have said they are going to seriously look at properties while they are there because they too want a better life away from england. If they find somewhere we have the added possibility of staying with them so we are nearer to mainland spain & that will make it easier to find permanent jobs & a decent home. Everytime I think about it I hate having to keep living here until we get something sorted but we are going to do this properly so no going out no holiday & getting bar jobs as we obviously need to be able to provide for Jack as well as ourselves so we need decent jobs & a decent, child friendly place to live.
Thats enough for now, i'm off to have a shave & shower before 24 comes on, stay safe....VampJack x
Good evening everyone, once again I have been sooo busy I have not had chance to update my journal. So here goes to try & remember what has happened since my last entry.
Last week I was on the early shift at work & really busy, couple that with getting home & having to look after little Jack means I got nothing done last week! Nic has been getting a bit frustrated & irritated being stuck looking after Jack every day while I'm out at work, she sometimes talks at me ( yes, at me not to me )like she thinks I go to work & relax all day. I know she doesn't mean this & that it's only the frustration coming through but it has caused a bit of a frosty atmosphere some nights. I do what I can to help looking after Jack but I can't get home from work, take Jack off her hands straight away & then get up during the night as well when I have work. This week has been better because I have been on lates so I have been able to help more at nights with not having to get up too early for work.
I worked last friday even though it was Good Friday because we cover Ireland as well & most of our irish customers were open, I took tuesday off this week as my day in lieu so only had to work 3 days this week. My mum was due to come over this tuesday but the bus company were still running a saturday service which means no buses from loughborough to coventry - despite her checking the week before & being assured the buses were running normal service. It is this kind of sloppy customer service that drives me mad these days, no one seems to have any pride in what they do. So mum didn't make it over to see Jack, no doubt she will manage to get over in the next coupla weeks. Monday we went to a friends bbq, poor Jack must've felt like he was the parcel in a game of pass the parcel, we ended up leaving early because he was getting irritable. That's one of the bonuses with having a baby, perfect excuse to leave early!! Tonight Nic is at a friends house warming party, Jack is with her...you've guessed it, to give her an excuse to leave early if she wants.
Tomorrow night will be the same, we have my friends wedding reception & then we have to go to Nic's mums birthday party & once again Jack will be passed around like a bowl of nibbles. It's a shame I will have to leave my friends wedding reception early but at least with Jack we have an excuse to leave the birthday party early. I love her parents but I'm not a big family party type of person.
Nic took Jack to the doctors today, the last couple of days he has had a rash on the side of his face & he has been screaming his head off like he's in pain. The doctor thinks it may be an allergy but says most likely to be a milk rash, we have to see how he goes for the next few days. I hate it when he screams & I can't do anything to comfort him, it makes me feel so helpless. He has been really cute this week though, he keeps giggling & then letting out a full laugh. it's so funny to watch him, I could sit & watch for hours if I didn't have to go to work. Mind you, not all the changes are good, he keeps farting every time we pick him up & they can be really loud & smelly. He seems to save them for when we are feeding him, no sooner do we put a hand under him to support him while he's feeding & he lets rip.
I have finally joined everyone else in getting a myspace page this week , it is bizarre, random people keep asking to join my friends list. It's a good way of getting in touch with old friends though so if anyone out there hasn't signed up yet I would recommend it.
I haven't shared any book recommendations with you for a while so here is my latest tip - Lee Child's ' Bad Luck & Trouble'. I have read all his books & can't get enough, they are gripping thrillers with plenty of action & excitement. I am now reading Peter Kerr's 'From Paella to Porridge', if you are familiar with his other books on life in Mallorca you will know what to expect, if not it's well worth a look. A few years ago Peter & his family left Scotland for a new life in Mallorca, his previous books tell the stories of his new life, this latest book see's him moving back to Scotland & seeing the country with a fresh perspective. The last book tip to share is John Grisham's 'The Innocent Man', a departure from his novels this is a non fiction book about a man wrongly convicted of murder & sentenced to death. This book will make you question the use of the death penalty & the trust we place in law enforcement.
Lastly before I go I have to mention the new formula one season, so far kimi Raikkonen has won the first race for Ferrari & Alonso won the second for McLaren ( in a race that really Ferrari should have won but they failed, lets hope they have learnt a valuable lesson & don't screw up this weekend ). So 2 races in & its 1 race each for the 2 drivers that should be challenging for this years title, Ferrari are looking good again this weekend but you can never discount Alonso. Lewis Hamilton is doing really well but I am already tired of ITV's blatant bias towards him, I have watched Lewis since he was in karts at 8 years old & although he is fantastic & a great bet for the championship in the near future ITV really should stop mentioning him every 2 seconds. There is talk of a night race in the not too distant future, should be interesting seeing as how F1 cars don't have lights. Mind you as a colleague at work said today, we have had some pretty miserable weather for the silverstone races in past years where they managed without lights when we would have used our headlights on the road in similar conditions.
Right thats it for now, I'm off to enjoy a well deserved JD & coke before my babysitting role starts again....take care all & have a fantastic weekend.
VampJack x
( just managed to save the first part of this entry before aol decided to log me off for a while....so here is the finished entry I had planned )
Another monday, another week of work ahead. This week I am on the early shift & for once getting up at ridiculous o clock is not a problem, Jack has seen to it that I get plenty of practice.
As any regular reader will know my entries have been few & far between recently, with having to look after Jack, do the housework & going to work I have hardly had any time for myself. This weekend was a little different, we still had lots to do but I managed to snatch a few moments here & there of 'me time'. There are those of you who have been reading this journal for months now so are well aware of the multitude of emotions I have experienced & this weekend I finally had time to reflect on the last year - I say the last year because when thinking how much my life has changed & what I have been through I had to reflect on what my life used to be like before Nic got pregnant.
I have been scared, happy, scared, worried, elated, nervous & so much more. When Nic first told me we were going to have a baby I didn't know what to think, all of a sudden with one sentence my world as I knew it was over, but a whole new exciting world had begun. There were times when I wasn't sure I could be a dad & times I thought I'd be the best dad in the world, but in the end all I can do is try to be the best dad I can. The 9 months sometimes seemed as though it would fly by but then once things settled down it really dragged & I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet my son. Living with Nic was not always easy & I guess she probably feels the same about me, nothing makes you analyze your relationship more than the news of impending parenthood. At the end of the day we made it & are still together & we have a gorgeous little boy that has made us so happy.
The birth itself was strangely uneventful, we've all seen the births on tv where the woman threatens excrutiating pain to the man for making her go through the pain of childbirth & so I was expecting fireworks ( Nic is a very fiery person the same as me ) but I spent most of the day wishing Jack would hurry up so I could go home to bed!! Maybe it was the numerous amounts of pain relieving drugs they gave Nic but she was quite quiet. When I saw Jack for the very first time I didn't cry but I have never experienced such powerful emotions as at that moment, here was a life that I had helped create & that I would be responsible for during the next 16 years ( at least ). I had always described babies as little bags of s&*t ( & trust me they are a lot of the time ) but Jack was & still is the most amazing little child I have ever seen, every little expession he has is priceless. We have pretty much turned into baby paparazzi taking so many pictures of this wonderful little creature that has stopped us getting any meaningful sleep & has puked, peed & pooed all over the place.
I have always believed in the power of continuously learning throughout life & the amount I have learnt over the last 5 & a half weeks ( yes he is that old already ) is quite simply shocking. We have learnt that midwives & health visitors don't always know best, Jack has let us know in his own way what he wants, how much of it & when despite being told we mustn't change his feed amounts & strengths. yes there are still times when Jack cries & we feed him, change him, play with him, cuddle him & still he cries, but what the hell, he is only a baby & is still trying to figure out what he needs himself. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't got to the point more than once when he's woken up god knows how many times & cried for a feed then refused to go back to sleep but this is all part of the parenthood experience. I am not always a patient person so I get wound up, but then I look at my son & think how enriched my life has become. The worst times are when I want to read as I can sit for hours reading but when Jack wants something I can't tell him to wait until I finish the chapter, I look forward to teaching him how to read & I hope he gets as much enjoyment from reading as I do. But if he ends up being a tv addict who hates reading then I have to accept it. When Nic was pregnant we talked about what we would like our son to do when he gows, Nic said he should be a beach bum & I said he should be a formula one driver ( & look after his old man with his millions!! ), after joking about it for a few minutes I said to Jack ( at this point still only a bump )that my only expectations were that I would love him no matter what - I still stand by this even though I know I will have many frustrations along the way.
One of the things that Nic & I have both found amusing is the many comments in books & magazines that 'up until baby is 6 weeks old he cannot smile, it is just wind when you think he is smiling'......what a load of crap! Jack has been smiling since his first week, okay he may not know why he's smiling but how the hell do the so called experts know it's just wind, have they asked the babies? I love watching Jack smile, I don't think I will ever grow tired of watching his gummy grins. Recently he has started to laugh as well, it's not yet a full laugh but he has little giggles. He loves when we play qwith his legs when he's lying down, he also loves having bath's ( it'll be bathtime tonight ). Both Nic & I love the water, we both learnt to swim at an early age & cannot wait to start taking Jack swimming. The swimming pools around here won't allow any babies under 6 months old so we have a while to wait, but we do have our paddling pool for the back garden in the summer which is going to be great.
One of the biggest fears I had before he was born was changing nappies, I'm not squeamish but the thought of the 'korma poo' ( sorry if I put you off your takeaway curry but let's be honest here, baby poo does have a remarkable similarity to chicken korma )just made me want to emigrate, the reality is though that its not that bad. obviously there are loads of things I'd rather do than change a dirty nappy but then again given the choice of being forced to watch big brother or changing nappies i know which I'd choose - & it certainly isn't watching the pathetic excuse for entertainment called big brother. You do have to be careful though, once you have a baby you may miss loads of important appointments because you are just too busy watching them sleep! The facial expressions are wonderful, its so funny watching them smile whilst sleeping, what do they dream about? Lets face it their world consists of mummy, daddy, milk & cuddles so what do they dream about?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter what happens, no matter how many times you doubt yourself having a child is the greatest feeling ever. You may begin to wonder if you'll ever have a full nights sleep again, you may never want to eat chicken korma again & you may well decide to invest your money buying shares in baby formula companies & washing powder companies ( seriously, how many bloody times do I need to put the washing machine on? ) but the minute your baby looks up at you & smiles you will know it's all worthwhile.
Thank you again to everyone who has emailed me or left comments, believe me every single one is appreciated. I hope you enjoy the new photo's ( Kathy - take a look at the blanket Jack's wrapped up in!! )....VampJack x
Another monday, another week of work ahead. This week I am on the early shift & for once getting up at ridiculous o clock is not a problem, Jack has seen to it that I get plenty of practice.
As any regular reader will know my entries have been few & far between recently, with having to look after Jack, do the housework & going to work I have hardly had any time for myself. This weekend was a little different, we still had lots to do but I managed to snatch a few moments here & there of 'me time'. There are those of you who have been reading this journal for months now so are well aware of the multitude of emotions I have experienced & this weekend I finally had time to reflect on the last year - I say the last year because when thinking how much my life has changed & what I have been through I had to reflect on what my life used to be like before Nic got pregnant.
I have been scared, happy, scared, worried, elated, nervous & so much more. When Nic first told me we were going to have a baby I didn't know what to think, all of a sudden with one sentence my world as I knew it was over, but a whole new exciting world had begun. There were times when I wasn't sure I could be a dad & times I thought I'd be the best dad in the world, but in the end all I can do is try to be the best dad I can. The 9 months sometimes seemed as though it would fly by but then once things settled down it really dragged & I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet my son. Living with Nic was not always easy & I guess she probably feels the same about me, nothing makes you analyze your relationship more than the news of impending parenthood. At the end of the day we made it & are still together & we have a gorgeous little boy that has made us so happy.
The birth itself was strangely uneventful, we've all seen the births on tv where the woman threatens excrutiating pain to the man for making her go through the pain of childbirth & so I was expecting fireworks ( Nic is a very fiery person the same as me ) but I spent most of the day wishing Jack would hurry up so I could go home to bed!! Maybe it was the numerous amounts of pain relieving drugs they gave Nic but she was quite quiet. When I saw Jack for the very first time I didn't cry but I have never experienced such powerful emotions as at that moment, here was a life that Ihad helped create & that I would be responsible for during the next 16 years ( at least ). I had always describer babies as little bags of s&*t ( & trust me they are a lot of the time ) but Jack was & still is the most amazing little child I have ever seen, every little expession he has is priceless. We have pretty much turned into baby paparazzi taking so many pictures of this wonderful little creature that has stopped us getting any meaningful sleep & has puked, peed & pooed all over the place.
I have always believed in the power of continuously learning throughout life & the amount I have learnt over the last 5 & a half weeks ( yes he is that old already ) is quite simply shocking.
Friday...work's done until monday, at least the work I get paid a salary for. Now starts the long weekend of no sleep because friday & saturday nights are my nights to feed/change/cuddle Jack when he wakes.
I knew it was going to be tough having a child but i am absolutely exhausted, both mentally & physically. Sunday & monday night Jack slept for 7 hours but then the rest of the week he has been waking all through the night, Nic has been looking after him because I have to get up for work but he still keeps me awake as well. My job is mentally challenging rather than physically challenging but combine work with having very little sleep & pretty soon you start begging for just one decent night's sleep. Don't get me wrong I love Jack more than i ever knew i could love but it doesn't stop me getting irritable & short tempered. People at work keep asking me if i'm alright because i'm so quiet ( usually I am quite an outspoken, cheeky & sarcastic pain in the butt ).
Nic told me Jack's poo has changed this week into the typical stinky, messy poo people always think of when you mention nappies - tonight I got to experience this first hand....what the hell has my son been eating while i've been at work?????
When we registered Jack a couple of week's ago the registrar had to start a new register, but she told us in a few weeks the government is making all registers computerised. Nic normally makes fun of me for being old but even she thinks it's a shame that pretty soon all registers will be computer printouts only. There's something nice about the fact that all birth's, death's & marriages are registered using proper ink pens in large registers, in generations to come what will they make of the change in the way we keep records in this country? Jack's generation are the last to be registered in such a traditional & special way. The only positive thing about it is that Jack's will probably be the first birth entered in the very last Coventry register by hand.
That's all I have time for tonight. Stay well & I hope you all enjoy the weekend - but don't forget to put your clocks forward on sunday morning......VampJack x
Hello again, I have been really tired with having to go back to work as well as looking after Jack & have been struggling to find time to update my journal.
Today was a nice day for Nic, her first mother's day. Jack been fairly good during the last few nights but during the day he has been a real handful, screaming & crying all the time. We are both exhausted just trying to figure out what he wants, wether its food, changing his nappy or just a cuddle.
I am tired more than usual this weekend because it was the start of the formula 1 season in Australia so I was up in the early hours of both saturday & today, I must be bloody mad.
I only have time for a short entry tonight but I will be back soon...night everyone...VampJack x
Yesterday was my first day back at work & I am fi nding it so difficult to get back into the swing of things. Jack is being a pain at nights so Nic is getting really stressed but today we switched him onto the number 2 formula so hopefully that will make a difference.
I am exhausted trying to balance work, looking after Jack & trying to keep the house in reasonable condition so apologies for not adding many entries, I have added some more photo's for you all to see just how gorgeous my boy is.
C u all soon....VampJack x
So its been a few days since my last entry & Mary thinks it's about time I gave you all another update, she's probably right but I have a good excuse for being lazy when it comes to my journal!!
The last few days have been a trial at times, Jack has been waking every hour crying. We are not giving him too many feeds in the hope that he will eventually settle down to a reasonable sleep pattern, last night he slept for 4 hours between both night feeds so this is a good sign - however it was Nic's night shift so he will probably resort to the one hour pattern tonight as its dad's turn on duty. He's a pretty good baby, okay so he cries but we're slowing figuring out how to calm him each time.
Nic says she's not having any more babies because of the pain but we're now seriously considering having one every year.....we've had more presents than we've ever had for xmas or birthday.
I took Nic to work this morning so she could show Jack off to everyone & then it was my turn. I now know what celebrities feel like when they are mobbed by adoring fans, I even got told off by a guy I work with for letting all the women go gaga over Jack, he wanted to see my gorgeous little boy as well. I got a few pressies off one of my friends at work but I didn't get the pressies from my team because my boss was interviewing someone so they wanted to wait - means I get more pressies next week when I go back to work. One of my friends at work is expecting her baby in 10 weeks & her partner is reluctant to be in the delivery room so my friend wants me to have a chat with him. I can understand how he feels because I have had a lot of bad experiences in hospitals & they freak me out whenever I'm in one, I was not sure that I would be in the delivery room but I'm glad I was. If any guys are reading this in the same position my advice would be to make sure you are in the room, there really is nothing like seeing your child the second they're born.
We are going to the doctors tomorrow to register Jack with them & thursday we have our appointment with the registry office to register his birth. It still seems strange that I am a dad but at the same time it feels totally natural. Those of you that have been reading this for a while will know I had so many doubts & being honest I was terrified at times but Jack is the best thing to ever happen to me & I wouldn't change things at all ( okay, maybe I'd change his sleeping patterns!! ). Even changing nappies which I was absolutely dreading is not as bad as I thought it was going to be, maybe my opinion will change once he's on solids. Jack seems to have teeth quite close to the surface of his gums & he already bites rather than just sucking so I reckon he will be teething quite early ( joy ).
I've been pee'd on & puked on so many times I am losing count, Jack seems to have perfected the art of peeing just as I am about to do the last tape on a new nappy so I then have to start all over again. we gave him his third bath last night & the first 2 he hated but last night he seemed to really enjoy bath time, it was so funny seeing him smile as we slid him down the end of the bath into the water ( holding him of course, we wouldn't just let him slide into the water on his own ). I love watching him sleep as well, he has amazing facial expressions when he sleeps.
There are so many firsts already, first time he held my finger, first smile, first bath, first nappy change, first feed. It all seems to be happening so fast, I wish I had more time off work to spend with my little boy but I have to go back next monday & it's going to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.
Changing the subject, our hoover has packed up today so more expense. I will have to have a look for a bargain on ebay. I am getting excited about the new formula 1 season which starts on march 18th, this year it will be strange watching a race with no Schumi to cheer on. I think Ferrari are looking good but then again so are the McLarens, only time will tell who will have the upper hand in 2007 but my heart is still with the scarlet Ferrari's - FORZA FERRARI!!
That's enough from me for tonight, I will be loading some new photo's of Jack in the next few days so watch this space....love VampJack x
Tuesday night I took the night shift again as Nic had to take over on monday night. He was waking every 1.5/2 hours for a feed & was gladly taking this from me, the last feed was at 4.15 & then he was a little sick later so one I changed his bedding he went down again at 5.15....next thing he was crying for his bottle at 8.15!!!!!!!!! I asked Nic why she hadn't woken me to do the bottle before that but there wasn't one, he had slept through for 3 hours - a breakthrough.
My mum came over yesterday to see him ( not to see us of course ), I wished she lived nearer & could still drive because I know she will miss him greatly. We went shopping first & when we got home I asked if she wanted to spend some time with her grandson, she obviosuly replied yes so I gave Jack to her & said she could check his nappy!! He'd only done number 1 though so no pooey nappy this time for nanny. I had got some of my photo's printed in town so she could have some decent photo's for her album & when she was here I took a picture of them both & printed it out, she was overjoyed ( & very nearly a little tearful ).
Last night was fantastic, Jack was only waking every 3 hours for a feed & no nappy changes inbetween so we got a reasonable amount of sleep. I hope this pattern continues, we may even start giving him more in the bottles, currently we are giving 3 ounces & he is finishing them all so we have may to do 4 ounces, we're going to ask the midwife today when she comes.
Well that's enough for now I hear the coffee calling...love to you all...VampJack x
Last night Jack was crying all night, he would not let me feed him so although it was my night shift Nic had to take over. It was a horrible feeling knowing Jack wouldn't feed for me, he just kept spitting it out when I fed him. I felt like I was letting him down & letting Nic down because she ended up taking over & I slept from 6:30am to 1:30pm. Tonight I will try again & hopefully Jack will be a good boy, I know its not his fault but it just makes life hard for all of us...so fingers crossed for tonight.
Today some of Nic's workmates came round with loads of stuff for jack & also some choccies for us, woohoo. Why don't more people remember the parents as well as the baby? Nic's parents even got a bottle of champagne fron some friends for being grandparents again - where the hell was our bottle?
Right off to do the ironing now while Nic gets an early night, very modern man me, I do all sorts of housework. Night night all...VampJack x
So here we are again, 2 nights of very little sleep & i'm still not freaking out - what the hell is wrong with me. Maybe it's because friday was the greatest day of my life, no matter how long I live & no matter what I achieve nothing will ever beat friday.
I went to pick Nic & Jack up from the hospital on saturday afternoon about 3:30, little Jack never made a sound all the way home ( which if you've ever driven in Coventry you will know is amazing as we must have the most disgracefully under maintained roads in the world, & trust me I have driven on mountain roads in greece & Spain so I know about bad roads ). Once we got him indoors he slept most of the afternoon on my lap, mind you once we went to bed it was a different matter. I know he is only a baby but why can't babies come with properly functioning body clocks? He wakes at least every hour & a half, usually more often. He either wants a feed, or a cuddle, or his nappy changing. Nic & I have sorted out a rota, one of us does the night shift & then gets to sleep til lunch the next day when the other person takes over. I have forgotten what sleep is already!
Sunday Nic's parents brought us sunday dinner, they only live up the road so they did a really nice roast chicken dinner & drove down here with our dinners plated up. I know they wanted to see their new grandson but it was really nice of them to think of us in this way, knowing we'd both be totally knackered & not in any mood to cook a roast dinner. They didn't stay too long which was nice that they gave us the space we need with Jack to get on with figuring out how to be parents. We also had our friend E come & see us yesterday, C came to see us today & my mum is coming over on wednesday. We will also have numerous other friends & relatives popping in over the next few weeks no doubt, my sister is unable to visit at the moment as they are having to sort things for an imminent house move but at least the new house is nearer than where they are now. Both my nephews are desperate to meet their new cousin which is so sweet. Although we have had a few visitors all our friends have been great & not crowded us, even the most irresponsible of our friends has said they will wait til later to visit so we can have some time to ourselves & it is so welcome that people are giving us this time. It still feels kind of surreal having our own baby, we are learning all sorts of things ( such as how many times the washing machine will have to go on ) & although we know we will make mistakes it is an adventure we are both more than happy to embark upon.
You will all be pleased to hear that so far my lovely son has managed to pee on me when I was changing his nappy ( yes I have changed nappies already ), he has also puked on me & I have already had to change a very messy pooey nappy & I gotta tell you, from the state of the nappy I don't think my son is human!! It was gross!!
Time to go, just gave Jack his first bath at home & now its my turn to head for the shower. Before I go I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that have either left messages to congratulate us or sent me emails, your kind words do mean a lot. I want to say a special Thank You to Kathy for the wonderful gifts she sent, we love them ( & as Nic knows I read other journals & leave comments she thinks the gift is from someone who's journal I read, she probably does know about this journal but just pretends not to!! ). I have deliberately only put 1 picture on with Nic, as she does not know ( maybe ) about this journal I don't think its's fair to add pictures of her on here for public viewing. Hope you like the pictures.
Good night all......VampJack x
I'm bloody knackered & will update photo's soon but here is the news you've all been waiting for.
At 02:00 this morning Nic went into labour ( after only 1 hour sleep for me, how inconsiderate!! ), we got to the hospital at 03:00 & baby Jack was born at 17:39, weighing 7lbs 4ounces. Nic has had a very difficult day but is doing okay & baby Jack is doing great. My son is the cutest little bundle I have ever laid eyes on, the only down side is that the poor sod looks like me!! You never know the meaning of unconditional love until you set eyes on your own child for the first time. Nic & Jack are staying in overnight & I miss him already.
Anyway I'm off for some sleep....love VampJack x
I haven't been adding entries lately because aol is pants!! I've had to call the tech support line several times recently because we couldn't get on line & then yesterday I was informed my modem is heading to modem heaven. Strangely we have been able to get on line today ( with a dead modem!!! ) but aol are sending me a sparkly brand new modem so hopefully my problems getting online will soon be over.
This weekend my sister came to visit with my bro in law & my 2 adorable nephews, she came to bring me loads of hand me down stuff as they're moving in april & the new houe will be smaller so out with all the old stuff. As my nephews are 4 & 8 there was some older stuff in the box that we just don't have room to store ( and besides, what self respecting 5 or 6 year old would wear 5 or 6 year old fashions? ), we put the stuff we can't use on freecycle & it went to someone who donates a lot of childrens stuf to a friend in the czech republic who takes in orphans, so now we can feel good that we have helped some people less fortunate than us. Mind you the visit wasn't all happiness, I'd told my sister last week about these very scrummy melting middle choc puds we had & she made me promise to get some for saturday.....needless to say morrison's were out of stock so my sister was not happy. Mind you, me being the lovely brother I am, I took a photo of our puddings yesterday because they were back in stock & sent it to her, she hasn't replied yet so the abuse is yet to come.
Nic & I are both getting tired of people asking us if the baby's been born yet. She gets several text messages a day & every day at work I get the same thing, honestly do you really think I'd be at work if my son had been born? No, exactly. It's nice that people are showing an interest but those of you that have been through this must know how annoying & boring it gets.
I ordered the cotbed today that we have had our eye on for some time, its a hauck cotbed with winnie the pooh covers, bumper & drape. We were hoping to get one from babyequipmentcomplete.com but they have been out of stock for ages, there was someone selling them on ebay ( new ) for £30 more which we would have paid but just found another company selling them on ebay today for only £5 more than the original one we saw. So I think we now have everything, car seat, cotbed, moses basket, more clothes than elton john, toys & books so I can read L'il Vamp his bedtime stories. We've got enough nappies & baby wipes to survive a nuclear holocaust. Thursday is the official due date but we think he's going to be late, I will however make sure that I put some pics on here at the earliest opportunity. I am getting very nervous now, all these thoughts about wether we will be good parents, if we'll be able to afford everything we need & if we will be able to survive the sleepless nights & smelly nappies without killing each other. We watched Pursuit of Happyness last night, it was good, although not as good as we were expecting but it's maybe not the right film to watch when you are worrying about being able to afford to provide for your little ones.
For those of you that like a good read out there, I am currently halfway through a book called 'A small death in Lisbon' by Robert Wilson. If I had picked this book up in a bookshop & read the cover I would probably not have bought it, however I got the book from Harper Collins for being part of their readers panel. I am glad I did it really is a great book, it alternates between 1941 with the story of an SS officer arriving in Lisbon during the war & the late 1990's with the investigation into the murder of a young girl. Well worth checking out.
Well thats all for tonight, some of us have work early in the morning you know! I may be back later in the week depending on the lottery that is aol's broadband service, if not have a great week & a fantastic weekend....VampJack x
