Life as a family of 4, 4 months on…

Well, I wish I could say we’ve been up to so much and that’s why I haven’t had a chance to post. But truth be told, we’ve just been busy with daily life and getting on with being a family of four, and it turns out that this in itself makes life pretty darn busy!

This weekend, Micaiah will be 4 months old. I can’t believe how fast time has gone, and how much she’s grown! She’s doing great; she eats, sleeps and plays really well. She’s still exclusively breastfed, and after a rough start with thrush and the like for the first 3 months, I’m proud to say that! We moved her into her cot for daytime sleeps a week and a half ago, and as of last weekend, she’s now sleeping in her cot in her own room at night too. It’s always sad when they move out of the master bedroom, well, for me it is, but not for Ekant! Micaiah loves to play with Keziah, in fact she gets quite annoyed when Keziah leaves her to do her own things and will squeal to get her attention (which always works!). She also loves her feet and loves to stand, so we’ve got the Jolly Jumper out for her to play in, and she absolutely loves it!

Keziah is also doing really great and growing up far too fast! She’s still going to pre-school two mornings a week, and she really enjoys herself. She’s such a sweetheart, and has taken to being a big sister really well. She loves to help out with Micaiah, she’s even taken charge of nappy changes (heaven help you if you try and change a nappy without asking Keziah first, as she has to chose the nappy herself, get you the wipes, creams, lotions and potions), and she also takes it upon herself to make sure Micaiah has toys to play with. It’s really lovely to see them doting on each other.

Ekant’s been really busy with work. He’s had 3 papers accepted to major journals in the last month. He’s just finished working on a movie for a conference in San Fran in October, which we’ll all be going to and Micaiah has a passport all ready for it! He’s also off to Poland on Thursday for 3 days to promote the University (similar thing to what he did in India last year). So, as you can see, he’s busy, busy!

As for me, well, I’ve just been busy being a mummy! Need I say more?!

Well, hopefully these photos will help give you an idea of what we’ve been up to, and how grown up our girls are becoming.

Keziah 2y7m old & Micaiah 10w6d old

11w1d old

Keziah 2y8m old & Micaiah 12w4d old

12w5d old

Keziah watching Hi5

14w2d old

Keziah 2y8m old & Micaiah 14w3d old

Playing copy cat with Daddy (14w6d old - Micaiah that is)

First day in Jolly Jumper (14w6d old)

15w6d old

16w4d old

Love you lots and miss you heaps!
xxx

My Birthday, Christmas and New Years!

Okay, so I know I said my next post would be about Christmas etcetera, and you probably assumed that I’d post somewhat soon after the events, but hey, I’ve been busy! Not that we’ve been doing anything in particular, but family life is a little busier these days than it used to be, and blog writing takes a fair amount of thinking power.

Now, I have to try and remember what exactly happened way back in December! Oh well, serves me right!

Let’s see… (Thank goodness I’m mad on taking photos, so I can look back and see what we did!)

My birthday, we celebrated by going to the local pub, the Prince of Wales, for a family lunch. I figured we’d gone to a pub for both Mum and Ekant’s birthdays the month before, so why break from a newly forming tradition!

My birthday night we actually had a Christmas party to attend, not something I usually like to do on my birthday, but since it was a good group of friends, I thought I could let it slide. Oh my gosh, the fog that night was so bad though! The party was close to us, only 5 miles away, but it was down a valley in a village called Wellow, and obviously it was a fog trap! At one point on the return journey home, we actually had to stop and check we weren’t heading in the wrong direction, which is scarily easy to do on these country lanes! Anyway, the party was lovely, there were around 50 of us there to celebrate, and they even sung me Happy Birthday before we left.

Putting the star on the tree

We actually celebrated Christmas twice. First, we celebrated here at home with the girls on the Saturday before Christmas, and then again with Ekant’s parents in Kent on Boxing Day. We were being practical really. We thought it would be easier than piling everything into the car to take to Kent, only to have to bring it all back again. Plus, the girls are so young, they don’t know any different just yet.

Micaiah's first Christmas

So, Saturday morning, we sat in front the Christmas tree and opened up the bounty of presents we’d accumulated for the girls from us, family in NZ and friends, oh and there were a few things for Ekant and me too (thank you!). We even managed to get a quick photo of Micaiah in front of the tree before she needed to go to bed. It was a lovely family day, mainly spent playing with Kezzy's new toys, and in true Christmas style I believe we all had a nap in the avo!

Keziah playing with her new fav toy!

For quite a while we were unsure what was going to happen for Christmas on Ekant’s side of the family, and we only actually confirmed everything the day before my birthday. Vik and Tasha at the last minute were both able to get Boxing Day off, so we decided to meet up with them in Kent and do Christmas at their parents.

We left for Kent on Sunday the 23rd and it took us aaaaggggeeesss to get there! I think it took us 5 hours, including two pit stops, where it usually takes us maybe 3.5 hours? Christmas traffic is always going to be bad, no matter what country you’re in, but we also had the added bonus of fog to contend with! Ekant’s mum had also booked me a hair appointment for that Monday, so another reason to get there early!

Micaiah with mummy & daddy in her 'Christmas Outfit'

With Amma

It was a bit of a mission to work out where everyone was going to sleep. In the end, we got the whole top floor to ourselves, which meant that Kezzy slept in a room on her own beside us and we had Caiah in with us in the master bedroom. Ekant's parents relocated to the middle floor sleeping in the old living room, which was made possible as the newly redecorated ground floor contains a lovely new living area and family sitting room. I think I can say we came home much fitter than we got there, because the house is three stories, and with the girls sleeping on the top floor and us all 'living' on the ground floor, each time the girls woke in their sleep, we had to climb two flights of stairs to settle them. Very tiring! Made even more tiring by the fact that we all caught colds soon after we arrived and just couldn’t seem to shake them.

Keziah playing with Uncle Vik

Keziah playing dress up

So, even though he was sick, Ekant still prepared the majority of the Christmas lunch on Boxing Day. I helped out by preparing some starters, veggies and gravy. But the main feast was fantastic: wild duck (shot especially for us by a hunting friend), lamb, gammon, potatoes, parsnips, broccoli, carrots, peas, stuffing and gravy. For desert, Ekant even made a 'Christmas' ice cream (vanilla with Christmas fruits and custard) and a brandy caramel sauce, it was very yummy!

Keziah entertaining us with carols

I had hoped to also make a desert (baked apples and custard), but instead we decided to head home that evening! Sudden I know, but (according to the internet) the traffic and weather looked really good, so we seized the opportunity. Vik and Tasha also left at the same time for the same reason. So, we all deserted the in laws in a matter of hours! Must have been very odd for them!

We had a good Christmas. But I have to say, I didn't feel particularly 'merry' this year, probably because it was cold, we all had colds, we weren't settled in our own comfy home, and I missed you all in NZ!

Though, Ekant knows how hard it is on me at this time of year, and he made a big effort to make our home feel Christmassy, and I really appreciated it. And of course it was lovely to talk to family on ‘your’ Christmas day and again on ‘our’ Christmas day.

As for New Years, well, I think we can safely say with two little ones in the house, it pretty much passed us by this year! Maybe next year we might think about keeping the girls up to see some fireworks, or maybe not! We might even be organised and more awake to be able to have a bottle of wine in the fridge to celebrate! There’s a thought!

Love you lots, miss you more xxx

Micaiah’s First Month and Mum and Dad’s UK Visit

Wow! I can’t believe Micaiah’s over a month old already! And what a busy month it’s been really!

We had my Mum and Dad over from NZ for just over 3 weeks. Our lounge was their camping ground, which can’t have been particularly comfy, but they didn’t complain! They had tried to time their visit so their new grandchild would be a week old by the time they got here, but Micaiah had other plans and actually arrived 4 days after they got here (14 days late in total!)! But it was nice to be able to spend some time with Mum and Dad before the chaos that is a newborn began!

Ekant was ever the good tour guide and dutiful son-in-law and took Mum and Dad around the local areas and Bath city. We also managed a trip to one of my favourite places, Cheddar, before baby arrived, where we bought some Cheddar cheeses to have with wine in the evening (very, very nice!).

Micaiah then arrived on the Friday, the 9th, after Mum and Dad got here. Which worked out quite well really, as it meant that Mum and Dad were able to look after Keziah while we were in hospital, and because they’d been with us for a few days already, Keziah was familiar enough with them not to complain (too much). They did a really good job keeping her entertained and fortunately it was a fine English winter day and they were able to take her to the park, which is always a good way to win over the granddaughter!

My beautiful big girl!

That Sunday, the 11th, was Mum’s birthday (I wont tell you how old), and Ekant’s parents drove down to see us all. To celebrate, we all went to the Globe for lunch, which at not quite two days old was also Micaiah first ‘outing’. Ekant’s parents then took Mum and Dad with them back to Kent to give us a week to ourselves to get to know our new daughter and try and jell as a new family of four.

While away, Mum and Dad explored Kent, Canterbury and London. I’m pretty sure they’ve now seen more of London than I have!

Ekant had hoped to take Dad to a Liverpool game while he was here and had even bought tickets to a game at Anfield (Liverpool v Fulham) on the 10th November. But since Micaiah still wasn’t here late in the week, they decided to cancel the trip. Luckily though, we didn’t loose any money on the cancellation, as Ekant wrote a letter to Ticketing Manager explaining about our very late baby (and sending a copy of part of my maternity notes as proof!), and they replied back with a congratulations and a full refund, which they really weren’t obliged to do.

Guess where they are?!

A week later, Ekant was still feeling bad about not being able to take Dad to Anfield that he arranged to take him anyway, for a tour of the stadium. They were gone the whole day 8am till 8pm, but judging from the photos they had a really good time. And to make up for not actually experiencing an English football game, Ekant took Dad to see a local game at Bristol (Bristol City v Leicester City) the next week.

In the meantime, while the men were away, we girls went shopping!

The rest of their time with us, Mum and Dad hung around Bath and Peasedown St John, and just generally spent time with us. I think they got quite familiar with the local village and shops – or should that be pub! Mum was even here for one of Micaiah’s health visits, which is the UK equivalent to NZ’s Plunket.

Thursday, 22nd November, of course, was also Ekant’s 28th birthday! Twenty-eight and a daddy of two girls! To celebrate, we again went to the pub for lunch, our local, the Prince of Wales! See a pattern emerging here?!

The next Tuesday, Mum and Dad left Peasedown St John for London to begin their 40 odd hour trip back to NZ…

That Tuesday was a really tough day, as Ekant also left with them for London. He’d been asked to speak in India on behalf of the University of Bath and was going to be away for nearly a week. Again, he’d been asked to do this long before Micaiah actually arrived, and at the time we really had thought she’d at least be on time, if not only a few days late (oh how wrong we were)! So, to give me a hand and to help keep me sane while Ekant was away, Ekant’s Mum came to stay with me and the girls. We made it through the week just fine, but the girls and I missed him like crazy! Thank goodness for Skype I say!

Micaiah & Amma (3 weeks old)

So, as you can see, Micaiah’s first month has been a really mixed up month and far from what you could even call ‘normal’!

Having said that, Micaiah’s done really well. After the inevitable initial difficulties, she’s now in a good routine, is feeding really well and has kept up a steady weight gain that makes mummy very proud:

Birth weight: 7lb 13oz (3.54 kgs)
5 days old: 7lb 6oz (3.46 kgs)
11 days old: 8lb 2oz (3.69 kgs)
18 days old: 8lb 14oz (4.03 kgs)
25 days old: 9lb 7oz (4.28 kgs)
39 days old: 10lb 9oz (4.8 kgs) (unofficial)

Micaiah is a very good, happy baby and is very ‘aware’ of her surroundings. She definitely loves her big sister and seems to already be in awe of her (going to bring trouble later I’m sure!), so much so, that she’ll look around the room for Keziah when she can hear her voice – it’s very sweet to see.

Nearer the end of the month, Micaiah also started smiling and cooing to us, which is all very cute, and very hard to ignore at three and five in the morning when you really want to just feed and go back to sleep! As you can see then, she’s not yet sleeping through the night, poor girl seems to go through a new growth spurt every two weeks, so until that settles down, she won’t really be able to sleep through. But in the meantime, she only wakes twice a night for a feed and will usually go straight back down to sleep, so long as she’s not too windy that is!

Keziah is doing really well too, and has adapted far better to having a younger sister than I ever thought she would. For the first few weeks, she was very possessive of me, and would demand “Mummy, put THAT over there!” so she could have a hug which was quite hard, but this is a far lesser occurrence now and we only have meltdowns every few days (usually when little miss is a bit tired). My real benchmark that she’s accepted Micaiah is that when she lists off her family, she will include Micaiah in the line up, so that’s really lovely. She also insists on kissing her good morning and good night for every nap!

Micaiah one month old
Photo by Vik

It’s very odd how my ‘baby’ (Keziah) is now a big sister! Suddenly she seems very grown up compared to Micaiah. More so since she is very independent these days and loves going to pre-school and was even asking just today if she could stay at school longer when I came to collect her for lunch! My ‘baby’ is growing up!

Well, it has been a very busy and eventful month (or more)! I should also add that Vik and Tasha were also able to squeeze in a visit just recently to meet Micaiah, so she’s met all her UK based family now (yay).

There’s so much more I could write, but I don’t want to run the risk of boring you too much more! Plus if I keep on writing, I’ll never get round to actually posting this entry!

I guess the next blogs will be for my birthday and then Christmas and New Years! This year has gone so fast!

Love you lots!
xxx

The Veers
Photo by Vik

Photos of Micaiah

Well, Micaiah's just over 2 weeks old now, so I thought it was about time I posted some of the photos we've taken of her so far: Birth weight 7lb 13 oz (3.545 kgs)

First cuddles with Mummy

First cuddles with Daddy

Sisterly love (2 days old)

More cuddles (3 days old)

On return from walking Keziah to pre-school (4 days old)

Sisterly love 2 (6 days old)

Mat time (6 days old)

Mat time (12 days old)

Cuddles with Granddad (1 day old)

Cuddles with Nana (7 days old)

That's all I have time for just now - off to feed the little miss in a few minutes!

Take care and lots of love
xxx

Introducing Micaiah Grace!

Micaiah Grace Veer (not even 1 day old)

It is with great pride and joy that we introduce to you our second daughter Micaiah Grace Veer, who was born the 9th November at 13:20 at Royal United Hospital, Bath, after a nice short 8 hour labour. At a healthy 7lbs 13oz (3.545 kgs) she's another perfect blend of both Mum and Dad's looks and has a lovely demeanor… so far!

Keziah is very excited that her little sister has finally come out to play!

Thank you all for your prayers, love and help during the pregnancy and we're thrilled to be parents of another beautiful child.

As far as the name goes, it is one of the lesser known female names from the Old Testament in the Bible. Micaiah (pronounced Mih-KAY-ah) meaning "Who is like God?" is a declaration that God alone is awesome, amazing and wonderful.

We look forward to introducing you to our new bundle of joy very soon.

Lots of love xxx

Still waiting – 9 days over and counting!

Well, as you can gather, baby still isn’t here and is now 9 days late! Keziah was 9 days late, but it seems this one’s trying to set their own record!

We had our 41 week midwife appointment on Friday, and basically she confirmed that baby’s not in any rush. She tried to ‘stir things up’ to get it all started, but since that was Friday and now it’s Sunday, we can safely say it didn’t work! Otherwise though, baby’s heartbeat was nice and strong, is still 3/5 engaged and presenting in front, and my blood pressure was fine, if not low (100/50).

We go back to see the midwife on Monday for another try and to see how baby’s going. Failing that, we’re on the induction list for Thursday, but I’ll only actually get that appointment if there are no emergencies before me (darn this ‘easy’ pregnancy!).

Either way, by next weekend, we’ll have our new little bundle of joy in our arms.

Monday, of course, is also the day Mum and Dad arrive from NZ! We had hoped baby would be here before then, but you know the saying about ‘best laid plans of mice and men…’

Hopefully, our next baby blog will be announcing our little one’s arrival!

Love you lots
xxx

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum

Yesterday Ekant decided to take us all to Westonbirt, the National Arboretum. It’s famous for its autumn colours and was only a 45min drive from home.

Anyway, we had a lovely morning walking around, playing in the leaves and looking out for the different coloured leaves. It was pretty darn cold though (as you can tell from Kezzy’s nose!)! I guess winter’s on its way?

Excited by all the leaves!

Mummy (39+5 weeks pg) & Kezzy

Playing under the trees

Playing with the leaves

Pretty red tree

Under the red tree

Pressing leaves into clay with Daddy

Love you all lots xxx