And we are airborne!

This weekend, we went to Copenhagen to see Farmor. Which means that I have now been on a plane, as well as on the Eurostar when I was just 3 weeks old. Jet-setter, me!

This flying business is fan-ta-stic! Mama carried me in my red sling all along, and I fell asleep on the train out to the airport, but from the moment we stepped into the terminal at Heathrow, until we stood in line for a taxi in Copenhagen, I didn't miss a beat! I didn't even cry - ok, just a wee bit as we were 'commencing our descent' as the pilot said. Otherwise, for some reason, Mama insisted that I eat during take-off and landing. Something to do with my ears. I swear, she has some funny ideas about anatomy, that one.

I even had my own RED seat-belt (to match my sling - accessories are such an important part of one's style, dahling), as you can see in the movie above (in Technicolor, for once).

As for the weekend itself, you'll have to wait until the next episode.

To be continued...

Who said Daddy's Girl?

My Daddy is very funny. He says his name is Far, but Mama calls him something else. Very confusing!

He has a great big cartoon smile and always makes me laugh and smile. Except when he pushes my arms through my sleeves. I don't know WHAT he does, but it just doesn't do it for me.

2 days a week, Far spends alot more time at home, and Mama smiles even more. Maybe she's happy he's home, or maybe she's just happy that he takes me for long walks so she can catch up on her sleep. Honestly, I don't know what keeps her awake at night! Moi?

Some mornings if I wake up very early, Far and I go upstairs to have breakfast, so Mama can sleep a bit. After a while, I get hungry too watching Far eat, so I start to make adequate noises to show him that he might want to think about waking the Sleepy One. And then he tries all sorts of tricks to make me think of something else. Rattles toys in front of me. Dances with me. Makes funny faces and noises. Pur-lease! If he was starving, would he care for a clown or a stand-up comedian? No, I don't think so. But I do appreciate the effort, though, so I give him 4 points for Artistic Impression.

Wonderful wonder week

On the last day Nonna and Morfar were here, I started getting cranky (or so they say). They were all talking about over-stimulation and over-tiredness and giving Morfar a hard time for playing too much with me. Then on Monday, Mama and I went to baby-massage. I don't know why she keeps going, because although I love a little massage AT HOME after my evening bath, I cannot see the attraction in lying in a too hot room full of other babies, naked. Can you? I think Mama goes there for her own social life improvement. And that's ok with me.

Anyway, the instructor gave all the mums a diagram showing which weeks they could expect us babies to be "fussy" (as if!), and whaddaya know? I was slap-bang in the middle of one. Apparently it's something to do with mental development and blah-blah-blah. I don't understand all that, but if you want to read more, go here. As for me, I just know I've been feeling funny and out of sorts and not understanding why things appeared different. And when I feel like that, I just want my Mama. And presto! Not too popular after 4-5 days of clinginess, I can tell you, and yet despite the night feeds which take up to 2 hours, the non-existing naps and the screaming never far away, my Mama can always be counted upon for more cuddles. Granted, she had a slight break-down the other morning, but I can tell you, I would have had one WAY earlier if it had been me.

Then suddenly this morning, I managed to somehow get a brainwave to her. So she stacked up lots of pillowsin her bed and propped me up against them. And I could sit!!! WEHE! I didn't even flop miserably to one side like I used to. So that's why I'd been feeling funny, I guess. My sense of balance was working over-time.

As she types this for me, I'm sitting in my beloved sling, because an evil woman has stuck a needle in each of my thighs. OUCH! And Mama didn't even yell at her! She said something about it being for my best. Yeah, right! More like vengeance! I think we're even. Until the next wonder week, which coincides with... Christmas!!!

Exhausting!

Who knew grand-parents could be so exhausting? I thought babies were supposed to be hard to keep up with, but have you tried keeping up with my Nonna and Morfar?

Reaching for the Stars

It doesn't take much to impress my parents. PFF! I whack a few dangly toys hanging above me, and they go berserk! The parents, not the toys.

See, they have this 'baby-gym' (at first, I thought they wanted me to lose weight, what with my dimply thighs, but in fact it's just 2 arches with tecnhicolour stuff hanging from it) and they put me down there a couple of times, but I just wasn't sure what they were expecting of me, so I just looked at them for a clue. After a few days, I thought I might have a go at the annoying monkey and - lo and behold - Mama started whooping and calling everyone to brag! Easy to please...

Although she's still not impressed with my 4 am hunger pangs. So I make sure I give her a HUGE smile when she comes to pick me up, to keep her sweet. I call it 'Survival of the Cutest'. But even my dazzling smiles can only achieve so much: after a good feed, I want to play, but at 5 am, Mama's sense of fun is kinda limited, I must admit. So she sometimes gets Far to step in and get me to sleep. Normally he's good for a laugh or 10, but I guess he's just not an early morning person either...

Last night I think I might have overstepped it a bit: I woke at 2 am AND at 4 am. She's not easily fooled, though, that mum of mine. So at 2 am, she just bounced me back to sleep and I had to wait until the usual feeding time. It's like being in a zoo!!! Soon she'll be dangling a herring over me and charging people for watching... Guess I'll have to give the herring a whack or 2 as well.

Life is Good

Mama has a cap which says 'Life is Good'. Can you believe it, she bought it before I arrived? When I was still a twinkle in her eye... Life was good BEFORE me? Boy, must it be good now!

My schedule is really tough, though. See for yourself:

Saturday: visit to Borough Market where we bought lots of goodies. OK, I can't taste them directly, but somehow it all distills down to me at some point. And the white stuff is Good!

Sunday: long walk through the 3 closest parks - Hyde, Green and St James. In nr 2 we even found a fountain with my name on! To celebrate that, I had a little impromptu al fresco snack beneath a beautifyl tree which was slowly turning Mama's favourite colour.

Monday: ok, not so good. An evil woman pushed a needle into each of my thighs. Just like that. And in the afternoon I got really hot and flustered and cried alot. But then the day ended well, as I was allowed to stay up late and fall asleep on Mama. wehe!

Tuesday: a bit of a boring day, as the weather was yuck and I was still not feeling completely well. So I'm afraid I was not very popular at the end of the day, especially as it took Far alot of work to make me fall asleep.

Wednesday: 100% good life again. We went for a long walk in Hyde Park (aka my back garden) and saw lots of squirrels! All that excitement made me tired, so by 8 pm I was snoozing in my bed. My popularity rates soared!

Today was even better. Mama and I had a lie-in and then we went for dim sum lunch with Far on the South Bank. Afterwards Mama and I walked to Covent Garden, but then I got hungry so we went home.

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it...

Creature of Habit?

She is cunning, that Mama, I've got to hand it to her.

I've tried to conduct a bit of guerilla crying (ostensibly there's no reason, so they both agonise over it, hihi), just for fun. After trying everything for a few days (and I mean EVERYTHING!), Mama thought she might as well try what she had vowed never to: a routine. Not being a creature of habit herself, it goes very much against the grain, but I could see that the crying was getting to her, so I was willing to play along. Ha! As if...

But I must admit that so far, I actually quite do like it. So for the past 3 days, I've had my dinner at the same time as most Danes (6 pm), then a nice bath, followed by a good crying session, a battle of wills, some random spitting out of dummies just to make them run down the stairs a dozen times (it's good for the heart!)... Finally, I take pity on them and fall asleep.

Well, it's well worth it, as last night I had the most amazing dream: I dreamt that Mama fed me when she went to bed, WHILE I WAS ASLEEP. Surely that can't be! I then sleep like the proverbial baby until 5:30, where I wake up full of energy. The same cannot be said for Mama. So I try to charm her with some Class-A smiles, but although she loves my dimples, she finally puts me back into my bed after I've eaten my full. And there I sleep until almost 9 am.

My new trick? I don't DO naps... I wonder how she'll work around that one?

Parklife

Ah, what an end to the week! On Friday, the weather was glorious and we were both in a very good mood, so Mama suggested that we have lunch with Auntie Jen. A few hours later, we were 'seated' at an outside table at the local Thai place: me enjoying yet another al fresco nap, and them enjoying a red beef curry. Then Mama and I went on to Hyde Park and had a loooong walk! I really liked that, especially theMemorial Fountain just for me. What do you mean it's for another princess? That can't be!

Anyway, on Sunday, we did the same walk in reverse order with Far, and as an extra bonus feature (just like DVDs), Far and I then went for a walk just the 2 of us so Mama could get some time on her own. Now, I would have spent the time sleeping or pampering myself or in any other way indulging, but no, she chose to do practical things around the house. As if I keep her from doing that!!!

But then the weekend ended on a not-so-funny note when Mama and Far decided they should try to get me to sleep a lot earlier than usual, which I did not find amusing in the least! And I let them know in no uncertain terms!!! But at the end, they won, and I dozed off around 9 pm. Only to then be hungry again at 2:30 am. What was wrong with the previous system of all of us going to bed at 10:30 pm and me sleeping until 6 am? OK, I know what's wrong with it: I cry all evening, and that's not so cool.

Result: I have them all confused about whether to attempt a routine or not. And I don't like it when they are confused, because then I get confused too! So today, I'm just cranky and the solution we settled on is that Mama put me in the nice green sling, while she browses the internet for ideas and inspiration on how best to go about this parenting business. If they would just listen to me, I'd tell them. But it's as if they don't understand what I am saying. How can that be?

Hmmh...

Mama and Far are very excited about this new chair but I'm still not quite sure... Granted, its' nice to be able to look elsewhere than just upwards, but I'm in a HARNESS! What do they think I am? A horse? You can't see it on the picture, as it's covered by the blanket Mama had when she was a baby. Although I can't imagine her as a baby, hihi.

I've been quite busy lately. First this chair thing. Then on Saturday we went for a long walk where everyone admired the pram. The pram! Not me! Pff! I definitely prefer the sling, even though they see less of me when I'm in it. What do you mean that's why I get compliments???

The walk was nice, except when we went into a big shop and the floor was much too smooth so there were no bumps to make my cheeks jump up and down. The best effect is just in front of our house, on the cobbled stones. YEAH!

On Sunday, Mama thought she was back to her usual pre-me and threw a brunch for our closest friends. Her only concession to ambition food-wise was to buy the pancakes instead of making them from scratch. Some concession, as Auntie Jen would say. And did say.

I got to meet a future play-mate, Matteo. But I hope he gets more interesting than he was on Sunday, where he just kept sleeping in his parents' arms. How rude! What's that? He's only 4 days old? And?

Yesterday was not so good. Mama thought she could skip the gluten-free thing and ate some granola. Not a good idea, believe you me! She was not her usual funny self, I can tell you! And so it got to me too, her mood and we were both in a sorry state by the time Far came home and decided that the only cure was to dance around with me and some take-away. No, not dancing with the take-away. EAT some take-away.

Today Mama's brain-fog has lifted, so we're back in business!

Sleeping Beauty

Would you believe it? Last night I slept 7 hours straight!

And apparently that wasn't enough, as today I keep taking looooong naps. Mama must have put something in the milk... Unless it's this dreadful weather?

So with all that sleep I'm getting, guess who's well-rested? Mama who keeps whizzing around doing stuff and repeating that I'm a 'good girl'!

Ha! Just you wait until tonight...

Weight-Watchers for Babes

Hello, my name is Constance and I'm a breast-milk-oholic.

Today, Mama and I went to Weight-Watchers. They don't really advertise themselves as such, but the principle is a bit the same: a group of people in a room belonging to a school/ nursery/ council, you try to wear as little as possible (in this case, my birthday suit) and you get weighed in front of everybody, then a kind lady tells you whether you are on track or not. And I am slap-bang on track: 4,5 kg for nearly 6 weeks of age.

I'll admit, it's hard work, what with counting the burps after each feed, but the effort is worth it. Mama was very pleased with me! Now she sees that when I insist of getting my food NOW, it's for a reason. This is serious business, we're talking about!

OK, I'll admit, I have a tendency towards gluttony and greediness, which makes me eat a bit too much too fast, then I choke on it and Mama has to hold me upright while I splutter and regain my composure. Only then can I continue afresh. Ah, bliss!

If only she didn't have to throw me over one shoulder and pat me on the back afterwards. A simple 'Well done, darling' would suffice!

Route 66, here I come!

Yesterday, I got my first convertible. Red. REALLY nice set of wheels, if I may say so myself. Mama needed to put it all together when it was delivered, so I was a nice girl and took lots of 15 minute naps. Normally, 1 or 2 a day suffice, but this was for (my) greater good.

Then, when Far came home from work, we all went for a stroll. Boy, are there alot of things to look at out there!!! Information overload!!!

So yes, I needed to reach the ripe old age of 5 weeks before trying a buggy. Until now, I have been carried around either in the red sling, where I lie down, or in the green sling, where I sit on Mama og Far's tummy. I like the green one best. It can get quite hot, but I sleep SO well in it. And everybody comments on how cute I look, which - let's face it - is something a girl can never get too much of.

Well, this new convertible of mine is cool too, I must say. Mama and I went out again this morning and it was really fun with all the bumps in the road. But the downside is that I can't hear Mama when she's talking to me and I don't get as many cuddles or kisses on the top of my head. I guess they both have pros and cons, so let's hope Mama and Far understand when I want to be in one rather than the other. They are not always that good at understanding what I mean, although personally I think I really spell it out...

Who needs plastic?

Parents! Who needs them, eh?

Here I am, exploring my own extremities and discovering that the bit at the end of my arm ALMOST fits into my mouth. Especially the 2 middle bits are really great. Well, of course Mama has to come and spoil it all and shove a piece of plastic in there instead. All the while grumbling something about how it's easier to take away a dummy than a thumb... Who is she calling a dummy?

I have already shown Mama in no uncertain terms that the plastic thing is ok, but on very rare occasions. I don't think she should over-rely on it, otherwise it will be difficult to weane her off the habit of using it and it will all end in tears!

PS: OK, I do need parents. They are handy for feeds, cuddles, changing nappies and best of all: lots of kisses!

All change!

Today is a big day, apparently. Mama and Far keep talking about how I am getting new furniture, but I really don't mind getting changed on the dining room table, in view of all the neighbours, I assure them. I guess they just haven't been very organised and so it's only now they have realised that even though I'm still tiny, I nevertheless need alot of stuff of my own. Such as countless outfits, 2 beds, nappies, a bathtub and several slings that match my outfits. A girl can never start accessorising too early, believe you me!

Anyway, we spent 2 hours in the bedroom this afternoon: I was drifting in and out of sleep, Mama's arms and feeds. Mama was looking at a piece of paper with lots of strange drawings on and Far was on the floor fiddling with planks and noisy tools. It was quite nice, really. I don't think any of us had expected that.

So now I have my own dresser, and they have somewhere higher to do that thing where I give them a dirty nappy in exchange for a new one (I wouldn't trade if I were them!). And would you believe it, although it's pretty smelly stuff, they give me lots of cuddles and kisses at the same time. Bonkers, I tell you! But I'm used to them now, so I think I'll keep them. For now.

Me and my Blue Heffalump

Today something amazing happened: I was lying in my bed that swings from left to right ( I also have one that goes up and down, as well as back and forth) and was really feeling groovy. So I'm kicking and waving and the next thing I know, the heffalump hanging over me starts moving too! I had to investigate that further, so I looked around, and neither Mama nor Far were standing near me, so it can't have been one their many tricks. I try moving some more, and what do you know? Heffalump swings again. WOW! I DID THAT! OK, it's really tiring and doesn't work every time, so I still have to work on my moves, but it definitely beats just lying there, unable to move and looking at an im(mobile) any day. I will report back on our progress.

Hello, my name is Constance Amelie

I was born on Friday 17 August 2007 at 23:25 in Montlucon, France. I am therefore a Leo, although - as typical Sagittarians - my parents say they don't believe in that stuff! I weighed 3,6 kg and measured 51 cm.

I thought about arriving 2 days earlier so I could celebrate Far's promotion that day, but decided that it was still nice and cosy in there, so instead my Mama had to walk up and down countless stairs for 2 days to no avail, before the pros had to step in and coax me out. The British doctors had said that I would arrive on 23 August and the French said on 30 August, but I obviously haven't read the same books as any of them... I do things in my own time, thank you very much!

We then spent 5 days in hospital since Mama and I couldn't really figure out that whole feeding thing, and then we spent more than 2 weeks at my maternal grand-parents, Nonna and Morfar, being pampered and spoiled. Mama and Far were pampered, and I was spoiled by all the gifts I received and the champagne drunk to my health, although I still have to stick to the white stuff. Auntie Reine is right: I will make alcoholics of y'all before soon.

Now we are back in London, and so far I like it! Much noisier than where we were before, and the ceilings are definitely not as fascinating, but there's so much going on all the time, I really don't want to waste any time by sleeping during the day. Although it seems Mama has a magic trick of putting me on her stomach when we go out, and next thing I know, we're somewhere completely different and I am waking up. She is cunning, that Mama!