A Brief Foray into the Medical World

Life here's been somewhat eventful, all in the kinds of ways you wouldn't want, leading to numerous appointments with medical people of one kind or another:

The first thing (and the only ongoing thing) is that breastfeeding has become a bit of a mare, and has spiralled downwards into a farce that neither Monty nor myself much enjoys, I'm in some serious pain from him chomping at me in frustration when he's hungry and din-dins is not forthcoming. From my point of view, it's been very upsetting not to be able to feed my baby - very upsetting indeed - so we got a lactation consultant to come in and give us advice. Hopefully, now we have some tips and gadgets to help, we will get this show back on the road and get it back to being the lovely experience it was in the first three or four weeks.

Of course all of that was put somewhat in the shade when Dan fell down stairs and dropped Monty on his head, resulting in a trip Moo's first trip in an ambulance and a visit to Starship Children's Hospital where he had to have a CAT scan. Luckily all was fine other than a small bump. Daddy, on the other hand, was very upset and took ages to recover from the guilt.


Then, one week later, it was back to Starship again... Moo got a temperature and had to have a battery of tests including an IV line, X rays and - eek - a lumbar puncture, which was very horrid for both Moo and his mummy and daddy. Again, though, we were lucky that it turned out to be just a virus and not any of the rotten things that can also cause temperatures in wee babies. (Of course it meant I spent my birthday in hospital with Moo, but I was so glad Moo was okay and that I was having my first birthday as a mummy that I didn't mind a bit.)

And as if that wasn't enough trips to see medical personnel, today the poor wee bugger had to have his immunisations -one in each leg - so he's been stabbed right left and centre this past week, poor lamb.

Still, the end result of all of the sagas is that he is fit and well and none of it was serious, so other than scaring us half to death two Thursdays in a row and some seriously gnawed boobies, I think we can safely say we got away with it lightly.

That said, we're hoping now for a nice boring fortnight of feeding, sleeping and eating, oh and some poohing, with a bit of bath time and some bashing of rattles - nothing more exciting than that please, and certainly no playing doctors and nurses!!!

One month old

Jeepers, how time flies when you are busy eating, sleeping and poohing all day! I've barely had time to get my PR staff onto the blog for an update, let alone keeping up with emails, texts and YouTube - it's all go here at Monty Brand Inc ...

I have had a very exciting time since last we blogged. I have finally managed to get up to my birth weight, after toying with mummy and daddy for four weeks and making them worry. I don't know why they were concerned - what kind of Khan or Blackbourn would ever be under weight for long? I am now a very bouncy 4.4kg, which is 9lb 11oz in old money, and I am a lot longer than I was when I first got here. Mind you, I am still getting into my newborn clothes, which is just as well considering how many I have. (I heard mummy say that I had to wear everything at least once or there'd be bother, and who am I to argue at such an early stage in our relationship?)

We have discovered a very exciting thing called 'Bubs On Board', where babies and toddlers can take their parents to the cinema for just $6.50 per adult (about £2). It's great cos mummy and daddy get to watch a film and mummy feeds me for the entire film to keep me quiet, so I get loads of boobie time, hurrah. That has certainly helped me gain that weight we mentioned earlier, and it's scored me some mega brownie points with the oldies cos they get to see films for next to nothing. So far we've seen Dean Spanley (4.5 stars) and The Secret Life of Bees (4 stars), although next week it's Confessions of a Shopaholic, which daddy iasn't quite so excited about. Somehow they don't seem to put boys' films on for these screenings ... funny that...

We also had our first trip to the beach, although we had a picnic on the grass by the beach and didn't actually venture onto the sand cos it was a bit windy and it was making my ears cold. We'll gloss over the fact that the oldies forgot to pack any suncream or a sunhat for me, so we had to stay under a huge tree the whole time. I'll let them off cos they are only trainees, but by jingo they'd best get their act together soon cos I'd quitelike to have a wee paddle before summer leaves us entirely.

I did my first smiles this week... the proper ones, not the pretend ones where I am realtl trumping or poohing. It's fun doing smiles cos it makes the grown ups go all silly and giddy. You should hear them start cooing and shouting each other to come and look. Lord knows what they'll be like when I start with the really exciting tricks, like standing up or talking!

Another first this week was when daddy decided to see if I could bounce. I'm not sure what he was doing but he slipped down the stairs and launched me doiwn the final meter or so onto my head. Luckily I am very clever and stayed floppy and just got a little bump on my head, but of course the grown ups got very animated about it all and we had to have a ride in a ner-ner to the hospital where they looked into my eyes (not around the eyes, lookinto the eyes), put a little machine on my wrist and took measurements, and then put me in a gigantic metal doughnut to see hwat was happening inside my head. Luckily everything looked marvellous (well of course it did, with a brain like mine), so they let me come home. Daddy looked very upset for a couple of days, but I gave him my best smiles to let him know it was okay and that I still love him lots. Daddy has banished his mean old slippers now and is very careful on the stairs, too - he has started talking about moving house again...

I have been getting trillions of presents from all over the world and have begun to feel just a wee bit spoiled and very much loved. I have had 39 cards so farm, and my very favourites are the home made ones from Cari, from Jaiden and from Cara - they are the very besterest by far. I also got a blankie made for me by Orn and a cardie that Ithing Faux Grandma Berylhand- made for me - with giraffe buttons, no less. As well as those exciting things, I have had lots of toys and clothes, sme cute shoes, an Indian heffelump mobile, glove puppets, books, a painting with my name on it, a CD with songs that have my name in them, and my very first Moo Moo cow outfit! How exciting is that? Mummy has had gifts too - she has had lots of flowers and some oil that is calming so that she and I relax. Oh, and there seems to be some sort of battle on as to which soccer team I will support ... so far I've got a Celtic teddy bear and a Rotherham United bib... nothing from the Blades or the Owls yet though, which is a bit slack! I am thinking the Celtic colours are the most exciting, but the Rotherham United bib is rather fetching, so I am still undecided as to where my loyalties will lie.

Right, I think it is time to make some wailing sounds so that mummy will feed me - it's such an easy trick, she falls for it every time! Big squishy Monty kisses to all of you, love the Moo Moo

18 days old already!

Hello grown ups, I am 18 days old already and it's been a very exciting life so far! I have already had four or five trips to the shopping mall and tried out two different parents' feeding rooms, plus I got mummy and daddy to take me to the park. Daddy was very giddy about the spider's web climbing frame and the jazzy swings - I'm not sure, but I think he really wants to play on them himself, which is okay by me because I prefer to sleep at the park and just be pushed around in my chariot.


I have had heaps of visitors, and lots of ladies keep holding me and cooing at me - they're a funny lot! Auntie Raewyn was the first ever visitor I had, at the hospital, then Auntie Rach came, then Trudes, Jo, Bronwyn, Girzy, and Jude - and all of them gave me huge hugs and lots more lovely presents. I heard mummy saying that I am being spoiled, but she said it with a grin so I don't think she minds much. Auntie Rach has been a few times now, and she even brought Harry and Ian to see me as well, which was nice. Oooh and I went over to see Uncle Brandon and he liked me cos I slept the whole time I was there. I am so well behaved.



As well as visitors, I've had millions of emails and texts and cards from people all over the world, not to mention beautiful flowers and even more wonderful presents, which is VERY exciting indeed. Daddy has hung all the cards up on the wall and said it looks like Christmas, but I'm not sure what that is yet. Mummy is going to print off all the emails and type out all the texts so I can read them when I am a grown up like her.

In keeping with my status a a techno wizard child prodigy, I have already had a couple of Skype sessions and met my public in Wanaka and Newbury over the web cam. Grown ups seem to get very excited when they see me on the camera - funny lot these big humans.

Auntie Glenda, my midwife, came to see me again yesterday and said I am not putting enough weight on and have to eat more. Mummy and daddy said it is most unusual for a Khan or a Blackbourn to have that kind of trouble with food and that I'd best start putting my back into it pronto before we get a bad reputation, so they took me to the osteopath and now I can move my head better and suck better, so I think that might help me get a good feed.

I am worn out from lots of learning. I could lift my head from the day I was born, and could suck my thumb from about 10 days old - how clever is that? Before you know it I'll be programing my first computer.

I like music a lot. We play the Foo Fighters and Def Leopard quite a bit, and I like the Eagles and the Doobie Brothers, plus Chairman of the Board (which mummy says reminds her of Auntie Irene). I also have my very own play lists of the music system with lots of classical stuff on it, which is nice for resting to and seems to calm mummy and daddy down when I do my really loud "I have wind" screaming for them. My very favourite music in the whole wide world, though, comes from Uncle Steve and from Auntie Jean, Uncle Mick, Ellie and Abby: Uncle Steve wrote me my very own track to celebrate my birth, and it is fabulous. I know he only does that for very special occasions so I feel very lucky indeed. And then Auntie Jean and co sent me a CD full of songs with my name in them!!! Mummy loves to sing "Monty Wake Up it's the Morning" to me, and Daddy likes "Rumble in the Jungle", which as giraffes and tigers in it. Yay.

I have to dash now cos I have a busy schedule today, with lots of sleeping, looking around, pooping and eating planned, not to mention growing my foxy ear hair! It's a hard life but someone has to live it.

Big Monty Moo Moo kisses to everyone xxxxx

More Monty pics from the first two weeks

Tummy and nappy free time on the play mat - see how I can push with my feet!

Ooh look, I've decided I like bath time.

Mummy and Monty Moo Moo Blogging

Daddy using the sling to take a stroll around the garden with the Moo

Bliss