Kitting out the nursery

Today, we started putting up these beautiful wall stickers by Blik from a shop on Columbia Road called Supernice.

One for all those who thought our baby would be brought up in a stark, white home. I mean, now it's like looking through a kaleidoscope it's so darn colourful.

Beep beep beep

Warning signals are important in life. In bed, the 'beep beep beep' of an articulated lorry reversing is the noise that Kate makes whenever she turns round.

(Well, it's kinder than calling it the desperate groans of a beached whale, no?)

The in-laws

We've just said goodbye to my wonderful in-laws, Phil & Jen, who were down for the weekend.

I assume that when you retire you cease to follow the long-established Roman calendar week, as coming for the 'weekend' these days seems to mean arriving on Thursday and staying until Sunday. Or maybe it's a Northern thing.

Not that I mind, of course. They are really quite entertaining and over the 'weekend' we did manage to resolve the not insignificant matter of maternal grandparent nomenclature.

Phil, apparently once famed for his sunny disposition and wide smile, used to be known as 'The Grinner'. That, however, was long before my time. The man I have grown to know and respect over the years as my father-in-law will be known not as Grandpa, but as 'Grumps'.

Sadly, the years have not been kind to Jen. Once a shoe-in for the Maths Olympiad and later everyone's favourite pub quiz team captain, her memory and ability to talk any sense have long since departed. As a result, she has been christened 'Granny Pigeon', or 'Pidge' for short.

We have a long to do list at the moment, so Kate and I are very pleased that we've managed to cross off these items.

Hot stuff

I think this shot of Matt holding his new god daughter Martha yesterday, looks like that iconic 80s Athena poster. It must be my hormones. Dad says he looks awkward.

Phew

So aar Stav commenced his rampage on the sanity of his parents-to-be by almost preventing us from boarding a flight back to Bangkok – the last leg of our many limbed travels around Thailand. In spite of a letter from our London doctor pre-holiday proclaiming the blooming health of both mother and baby, the Air Asia check-in staff felt it prudent to insist on a hospital check up that was more recent than 3 weeks old.

A palaver clearly loomed on the horizon. We were in a tin pot airport in the middle of nowhere, the plane was taking off in less than 90 minutes, and we had a connecting flight to London in approximately 8 hours. And we couldn’t speak a word of Thai.

But it turns out that extreme panic, wild gesticulation and adopting a high pitched squeak of a tortured hamster can work wonders on eliciting the sympathies of harassed airline staff (hence the cross-eyed oompah loompah look in the photo). Before I could assume my well practised hyperventilation routine, they had informed us that they would look after our bags, bundled us into a taxi and directed it to the hospital (conveniently located but 5 minutes away).

At the hospital, we were almost thwarted in our efforts to make the flight by the fact that every single hospital worker in the building needed to speak to us, but eventually we were ushered into see the nice 12 year old doctor who quickly checked me over, copied out the note from our London doctor to the letter, amending only the date. And so, for the princely sum of £1 we were furnished with what we needed and whisked back to make the flight with just five minutes to go.

Little Stav, troublemaker extraordinaire...

Bellies (again)

Points to note:

1. Significant pregnancy bump growth (or perhaps that's just the difference in camera angle from the first photo).

2. I am more tanned that Kate (for once).

We're going to be GREAT parents

Because we've read LOADs of books about pregnancy and rearing children.

Okay, we've ready two. And this second one, The Baby Whisperer, was very heavy going.

Here's hoping instinct kicks in at some point post birth.

The Holo

Possibly the best Christmas present I gave Kate last year: the Holo (the lilo with a hole).

Good for heads:

And pregnant bellies:

And after much faffing (there is a video, but perhaps not for public consumption), bliss on the open sea:

Ticket to ride

Everyone has to have a ticket to get the ferry from Koh Phagnan to Koh Samui.

I have mine and Stav has his; looks like Kate has lost hers.

Bellies

An early holiday self-take, to be honest, more for later tan comparisons than belly sizes (whatever Kate says).

On the beach

One of Stav's first ever outings to a beach - Mae Haad on Koh Phagnan - and Kate takes the opportunity to read up on how to survive as a Yummy Mummy (I've already read it).

The flight out to Bangkok

What a start to our holiday. We got upgraded to Club Class. Result.

Stav really came through for us. We knew being pregnant would have some advantages, eventually.

This is Stav trying on the complimentary fleece-lined eye-mask:

Although he does sometimes get a little camera-shy (and Kate gets sick of having the camera stuck in her face):

Little Stav - arrr hip hop star

So, we're meant to be buying big, value, multi-pack, washable, vomit hiding, sleep suits with poppers everywhere so little Stav or Stavrina can be have their nappy changed quickly and easily. Alas, style won over practicality in the shop. Cue *sigh* from Mum.