One month today!

And to appreciate how much has happened in his life in the last month, here are two photos:

this one from Day 0 - probably less than 20 minutes after he was born

and this one taken today - fresh from a bath, which he actually seemed to enjoy for a change.

He's so lovely and pink and placid looking, compared to the blue screaming bundle they presented us with a month ago.


So now he weighs 4.5 kilos, measures 56 cm and has a head circumference of 37 cm, which means he has gained 1.3 kg since birth - or 1.6 kg since his weight dropped to its lowest on day 3 - he has grown 6 cm and his brains have filled up an extra 4 cm of head circumference.

Fraussie Fraussie Fraussie!

oi oi oi!

Leo rocking out on Australia Day.

Dirty deeds done dirt cheap!

And one especially for Uncle Dane:

Get your motor running.

Zen Bebe

Partners in Crime

Leo all snuggly this afternoon - about 5 minutes before he chucked a tantrum.  Nice to remember the quieter moments...

He is hanging out with a recent arrival from Australia - Cara the Cow.  In their stripes they look like perfect partners in crime.

In fact, maybe the tantrum was a crafty diversion - we may have just been fleeced by a stuffed cow.  Better go check my valuables.

3 weeks old today!

Our little boy is growing up - and out.

He is 3 weeks old today!  And he's feeding like a champ - nearly 4 kg now, which means he has put on nearly a kilo since he got home from hospital 2 weeks ago.

Here he is hanging out with his mate Sophie the Giraffe.

Leo the Lion

Awake!

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The two sides to Leo's personality...

Out and About

We decided it was time for Leo to start exploring the world a bit.  So we took him for a walk around the neighbourhood.  He didn't seem that impressed that his neighbours lived in a castle.

Out on the country road - past the two horses.

Mum enjoyed the walk probably as much or even more than Leo. 

Happy Birthday Dad!

You've gotta be happy with that as a birthday pressie.  Actually - you really do, Romain, because I haven't had the chance to buy you anything else!

Leo, on the other hand, prepared this birthday cake for his Dad.  One of his specialities, which he has been working on perfecting for the past 10 days.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Leo at one week old!!!

Leo's got his party hat on because he is one week old today!

A week in the maternity ward

We got some first snuggles in - and yes I am as tired as I look.

Dad looking slightly more fresh-faced

But then we needed to get down to business.  First bath.

And feeding.  I asked Leo if he had finished, and this is what he had to say.

Visits from his cousin-uncles: Jean-Bapt and Jean-Philippe

Nana-Jan keeping watch

And this is us celebrating New Year's Eve together as a family, on Leo's second day in the world.  The food was top notch, as far as hospital food goes - smoked salmon for entree, roast pork en croute for mains and lemon and rasberry cake for dessert.  Romain snuck in a bottle of Mumm champagne too and I had a wincy sip.

Even the water they give you in hospital in France celebrates your newly acquired motherhood status.  The Evian bottles say "I'm a mum!"

Having one last feed before we left hospital after a good 6 days in the cosy maternity ward.

My view for the week had been out onto a a medieval church.  Very peaceful.

Our room - number 12

Leo very pensive - considering what lies ahead outside the walls of the maternity ward

Not quite William and Kate: us making our grand exit from the hospital, with me still sporting quite a considerable belly.  Little Leo was super calm about the whole 'hello world" thing though.

In the car and ready to begin the trip home.

Scary Leo

This is Leo!  Fresh from my belly.  He was purple and his hands were all puffy and white and looked water-logged, which I guess they were after 9 months floating around inside me.  We didn't know what to think.  But I think we were both thinking 'holy shit!'.

They weighed him and measured him - he was a good size baby - 3.25 kg and 50 cm long.  He really enjoyed this part, as you can see.

Then just as we thought he couldn't get any scarier looking, they rubbed yellow stuff across his eyes and he really looked like a prop from a Peter Jackson movie.

And this is the team that delivered him, lead by Yvette Blanc the midwife or 'wise woman' as they call them in France,  which is a much better name I reckon.  The lady on the left was a nurse in training and this was the first birth she had assisted with.  She cried when Leo was born - hopefully because it was a momentous occasion, and not because he was so terrifying looking.