jamie loves the bath

Last night I took this video of Jamie in the bath. It all started because he was trying to drink the water from the cup and I told him it was yucky, but it just turned into a game...

oh dear!

Jamie is talking more and more everyday. He hasn't said much that is funny yet as mostly he just says one word at a time, sometimes two. We haven't filmed him much (or at all yet) talking but we captured this tonight which was just too cute. If you can't tell what's going on, the cover to the iPad has come off...

Some photos

Here is a photo of Jamie in 'the' t-shirt. This was taken right before bed tonight and he was very tired, but it ended up being quite a funny shot, which is what we used to announce the pregnancy on Facebook:

We entitled it: We have some news. Some are more happy than others.

Jamie actually doesn't really understand what's going on. He went to the ultrasound and we explained about the baby in mommy's tummy, but who's going to understand that about a black and white moving image. We'll try to explain more as time goes on, particularly after we find out the sex.

Here is a photo of my bump from this morning, which is much bigger at 15 weeks than last time.

the cat is out of the bag...

Anyone notice a blog title change?! Well, our family of 3 (plus Remmy) is going to be a family of 4 (plus Remmy)! We are expecting another little one in June! (Due date 6/6/12!)

We took the pregnancy test on October 2nd, which was the day I ran the half marathon. I did have my suspicions a few days before. I had similar symptoms as with Jamie (meaning I had to pee more than normal, which is a result of increased blood production.) The timing worked well as Jamie and I were flying out to the States two weeks later. I wanted to tell everyone in an unusual way like last time. So we bought a t-shirt for Jamie that says: "I'm not lion, [picture of lion], I'm going to be a big brother!" Unfortunately we don't have a single photo of it! But everyone loved it. Christine wanted to know if it was true, Kim screamed, my mom noticed straight away, my dad didn't notice for 2 hours (until my mom asked what he thought of it!). Everyone is thrilled.

I am now nearly 15 weeks, and into the second trimester. So far I've been sicker than I was with Jamie. With him, I was only ever nauseous, but I've been throwing up a few times a week, mostly first thing in the morning after I open the fridge or encounter certain smells like dog food or moldy food. Like last time, I had to eat all the time to stop from feeling sick. I think I'm nearly out of it. I don't feel nauseous as much. I am also much more tired. I take a nap when Jamie does, nearly everyday.

We had a scare a few weeks back when I spotted for about a week. I was referred to the Early Pregnancy Detection Unit for a scan and everything was ok. We got to see our little one a few weeks earlier than normal:

It's not as clear in the photo, but we saw it in action wriggling around. The baby is about an inch long here.

Our normal 13 week scan was at the end of November. I had blood taken and they measured the baby to check for any abnormalities and also to assess probabilities that it might have Down's or another disorder. Everything came back normal and here is the baby 3 weeks older:

Quite a difference! The also measured my fibroid, which is back and growing again. It's about 8cm now, which is 2cm smaller than it was at this stage with Jamie. It continued to grow until 20 weeks last time, so we'll see how it is a the next scan.

I have had one midwife appointment so far, where she took my history and we discussed the last pregnancy/delivery and plans for this one. Since I had a c-section last time and lost a lot of blood, and because of the 'large' fibroid (greater than 10cm), I am considered a high risk pregnancy. It doesn't really mean all that much except that I'll be closely more monitored in delivery and I wouldn't be allowed to have a home birth (not that I'd ever want one!). I am several extra appointments with the obstetrician to discuss fibroid and delivery. I will have a choice if I want to have a c-section or try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I haven't made a decision what I want yet, and apparently don't have to decide until 36 weeks. I'll keep you posted on that.

A bit of a long one, but a lot to catch up on in 15 weeks. I'll try to update more regularly. The next ultrasound is at the end of January, which is when we'll find out the sex!

happy halloween!

We missed the church (non) halloween party last night, but we had plenty of opportunities to get in the halloween spirit back at home:

 Who's that coming up the hill?

It's Crocodile Jamie!

Happy Halloween everyone!

PS interesting article about the origins of Halloween here: http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/open-book/no-28-concerning-halloween/

visit to St Louis

Jamie and I have just returned from a 10 day visit to St Louis. We had a great time with the family. Jamie had fun playing with his aunts and uncles and of course Nana and Big Daddy. I got to go to the four World Series home games, which included perhaps the best postseason baseball game in history in Game 6, and also Game 7 of course, where the Cardinals won it all! Some of the daytime highlights include tailgating at a Mizzou game, Jamie's first visits to the Zoo, pumpkin patch and transportation museum. The mail reason we came in was to support Kyle in his capstone dinner, which is a final project for his degree at college. He was general manager of a team of people that put on a 5 course meal for over 80 people. They had to order, prepare, cook, and serve all the food. It was very professional and very tasty. We are very proud of him.

Here are some photos from the trip:

Mizzou game:

 This kid loves any slide:

With Nana at the pumpkin patch:

Petting a goat at the Zoo:

The Transportation Museum was a big it. Can you see all the trains he's lined up?!

Thomas the Tank Engine is Jamie's favorite cartoon character. He loves trains!

 And bonding time with all his aunts and uncle:

All the photos can be found on Flickr as usual: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoodward/sets/72157627894011193/

a little green thumb

Christine (Paul's mum) came over today to have a massive pruning/tidy of our garden (backyard). We got a substantial amount cut back during Jamie's 2 hour nap--we easily have 2-3 carloads that need to go to the green recycling. When Jamie did wake up, we found we had ourselves quite the little helper. He obviously has his Nanna's green thumb. (Let's hope so!)

Woodward family vacation

Last week we went to the Dorset/Somerset border with the extended Woodward family. We rented a cottage in a small village and did lots of trips out in the surrounding area. Jamie really enjoyed getting to know his grandparents and aunt and uncle better. We took trips to a steam fair, farm, a safari park, and monkey world. The ladies had a morning at a spa/gardens while the men went to the motor museum. There are tons of photos to go through on Flickr if you're interested, and we might add some from the others' cameras in the next couple weeks. Jamie is a great animal lover so really enjoyed all the trips out. A few highlights are below. The rest can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoodward/sets/72157627661070806/with/6143830754/

Sam and Jamie exploring the motor museum:

Sian and Jamie at monkey world:

Two other monkeys spotted at monkey world:

 David and Christine at the steam fair:

Family shot a Longleat safari park:

Jamie and the muir cats:

Jamie "drives" a tractor:

Hey, come back her ducks!

Hold on, is that a monkey on our car?!

Mom, there's something strange outside!

big boy in the woods

Yesterday I took Jamie to a local park where we like to walk Remmy. Lately we've been going through the woods to visit the horse fields. Jamie loves seeing the horses. Unfortunately, they were on the far side of the field and didn't come visit, so I just let him down to run around. He loved running up and down this empty creek bed. As I watched him, I was struck by what a little boy he has become--something about they way he was dressed and how he could climb the steep incline. Here is a video I shot of him playing:

And here are some photos of him playing and also some of the horses he likes (taken on a different day):

 Besties:

Jamie is fond of the horses:

This horse is fond of our buggy:

Remmy thinks they are big playmates.



What have you done to my room?

We are getting new carpet in Jamie's room this week and have had to strip everything out. Here is his reaction on seeing the empty room the first time.



You can also view this video here: http://youtu.be/NCkX4Nn8diE

summer vacay in the States

The first two weeks in July we spent in the States. The first weekend was at Sugartree where sadly we took no photos. I'll have to rely on my aunts and uncles for some good phtos from there. We had a great time there visiting with my mom's side of the family. Floated down the river, swam with Jamie in the pool, saw some fireworks. On the 4th we went back to St Louis and had a pool party with some of my dad's side of the family. Another great day visiting with them. The next day we flew to Hilton Head for some time at the beach. Jamie learned to LOVE the beach. By the end of the trip he was constantly making a beeline for the beach path so he could go play in the sand and water. He also liked being thrown about in the pool. Paul and I even managed a 24 escape to Savannah-my first night away from Jamie-and we all survived. Jamie had a great time with my parents. At the end of the trip we flew back to St Louis for another pool party with my cousins and some old friends of mine, Shay, Erika and her adorable son Patrick whose a year older than Jamie. Good times all around. All the photos are on Flickr as usual. The can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoodward/sets/72157627215213433/

Here are a few of our favorites:

Beach time:

Lounging by the pool:

Fun with family:

J making friends with a goat at a petting farm:

bye-bye for now:

current calming techniques

Jamie has become very tech-savvy. He knows how to turn on iphones/ipads and scroll through photos. He stops and videos he wants to watch. They are an excellent distraction when he is very cranky. Especially on VERY long plane rides to the US. Episodes of Thomas and Friends was also a big hit, even without sound.  Here is one of Jamie's current favorite videos of him and his best friend Remmy:

the BIG slide

We've just gotten back from a fantastic vacation in Italy, but Paul's gone down to Eastbourne for the week with all the photos, so you'll have to wait until next week for those. We're trying to keep busy at home and went to the park this morning with some friends. There is a very long slide which I took Jamie down today, and he couldn't get enough. Have a look...(warning, you need sound for full effect).

It can also be seen here: http://youtu.be/LvAkVP7NS5E.

playing the organ with Grandad!

After our Bluebell railway trip (see previous post), we drove down to Eastbourne for a flying visit to see Nanna and Grandad. While we were there Jamie had his first organ lesson, which was quite an acheivement for him.

A while back (January I think), when David was in the hospital, we tried to show Jamie the organ and he was terrified of it once he heard it. He wouldn't go near it and basically tried to crawl up to my shoulders if we put him near it. He also let out the most terrifying cry too when you played a note. It was the saddest thing. This time, we had Grandad here to help him along. He was very tentative at first, but after some encouragement and slow introduction, Jamie was fascinated. He was a big fan on the pedals too, once he realized that he could make noise by crawling on them. Grandad did a great job improvising when Jamie's chosen key, C#, which I'm told is quite a difficult key to improvise with. Way to go, Jamie--giving Grandad a run for his money!

first train ride!

Our friend Victoria celebrated her 30th birthday by inviting us down to the Bluebell railway, which is a steam train railway. Jamie and Remmy both had their first train ride and enjoyed it thoroughly.

More photos are on Flickr.