January 2000
After a very enjoyable Millennium Eve spent at friend's houses (Mum and Dad, Sarah and John and Pat and David, finishing with Champagne at our house while Keith nursed his flu bug) I awaited the arrival of baby Michael, due on the 18th January, with increasing anticipation.
However, as expected, the day came and went with no sign of labour pains. A helpful lady sales representative from the Yellow Pages recommended Clary Sage, an aromatherapy oil, which I duly added to my bath water on the 25th. Mum and I were going to London on the 26th January to buy some tablets from a homeopathic shop as I did not want to be induced like I was last time, with Sophie!
I had some pains in the early hours of the 26th but this didn't put me off going to London. However, after buying the tablets and walking around the capital for a while we decided to return home as the pains were getting worse and coming every thirty minutes.
To cut a long story short, I phoned the hospital at 9.30pm and they told me to come in, just in case. When I arrived and was examined I was told that I was not in labour so Keith was sent home and I was taken up to the Maternity ward where the pains just kept on coming and growing increasingly worse.
The midwife wouldn't give me anything and the TENS machine I'd hired was barely effective. When my waters broke (and what a feeling that was!) I felt an enormous urge to push and they finally realised I might just be in labour after all! With a sudden panic, they wheeled me up to the delivery room and Michael was born just thirty minutes later, weighing 9lbs, 2oz! His shoulders had become stuck but after a short spell in a special cot with a supply of oxygen he was fine. Keith had come rushing back and arrived just as they were putting our son into his special trolley.
I was out of hospital the next day and in the pub the day after!
Luckily, despite a few tears in the evening following the birth I was not as depressed as I was after Sophie and Mum and Keith helped out enormously.
February 2000
Keith and I registered Michael's birth on the 1st February and I went back to work soon afterwards.
Michael met the "Big Nans" for the first time on Sunday 6th February when we took him down for Nan Lamb's birthday. We had a lovely day and Michael was adored by all, of course!
The following Saturday, February 12th, we went to a Children's Activity Centre in Epping. The place was brand new and built by Hope Adventure who we are looking to take on to re-build our own indoor play area. The owner was an ex-builder who spoke his mind and told us we weren't using the space we have effectively enough. He dismissed our idea of putting in a gym and told us instead to rent out 8,000 square feet of space. This would then give us instant income (if we found a tenant). We had a great day in Essex and Michael was an angel.
Half-term started on Friday 18 February and it was a very busy week. Dad and I helped out in the kitchen and we did great business every day. This gave us the confidence to go ahead with our plans as the play frame hasn't altered that much over the last couple of years. We hope to see increased business with a new, improved play area.
All our hopes and plans are centred on the new lease which is going ahead with all the speed of a drunken snail. Our Solicitor is doing a great job dealing with the Landlords in London and we are gradually inching our way to an agreement.
Friday 25th February was the first Wine Evening of the new Millennium and we sampled wines from North America. They turned out to be delicious and we all had a great evening. Sophie stayed at home with Keith and Michael came with me to Mum and Dad's house where he slept the evening away.
March 2000
Mum and I took Michael and Sophie to see the Big Nans again on Friday 3 March and we went to Bluewater in the afternoon. Michael loved all the colours and noises and fell asleep in his pushchair. He's only 5 weeks old and he's been all over the country!
Monday 6th March was mine and Keith's 12 year "First Date" anniversary. The time has gone so quickly! We celebrated with a bottle of sparkling Vouvray and went to the pub while Mum looked after the children.
Michael had his six week review on the 9th March and all was well. He smiled on cue at the lady doctor and held his head up well. The rash on his face is still there and she told me to make an appointment with my GP to get some cream.
The next day we duly went to the doctor's surgery and I had to park what seemed like miles away! Michael now weighs 12lbs 8oz so he's rather heavy to carry! We were given some cream for his face but I've found that E45 ointment works just as well.
Early on Saturday the 11th March Sophie was very hot and when I checked her for the dreaded meningitis I found a small spot on her tummy. A few hours later she had more and I realised that she had chickenpox, which is doing the rounds of the Nursery.
The next day we went into work to open up and then headed down to London as planned. Sophie was still spotty but they weren't too bad so we decided to risk it! We drove in a new Honda Accord that we had on loan until April, parked in Hyde Park and strolled along the Serpentine feeding the ducks and, literally, watching the world go by.
There were people on roller-skates, skateboards, joggers, cyclists and horse-riders, all out and enjoying the Spring sunshine. Michael had a feed overlooking the water and it was wonderful to be out in the fresh air.
From Hyde Park we strolled down Exhibition Road to the Victoria and Albert Musuem where we soon learned that the building wasn't suitable for pushchairs! We heaved both of them up and down stairs and paid a small fortune (£13.45 for two rolls, two coffees and an orange juice) for lunch! Sophie enjoyed the dresses, especially Sophie Rhys Jones's wedding dress that was part of an exhibition. I love the V&A and could quite happily spend the entire day there, just wandering around the magnificent rooms and admiring all the exhibits. The top floors are full of china and glass and always seem to be empty. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, you can't beat it.
Unfortunately, when I took Sophie to the loo I found she was covered in spots. We decided to call it a day and headed for home, accompanied by screams from the back as Michael needed feeding and wouldn't accept lukewarm milk!
Because of Sophie's chickenpox I stayed home for a week and at the beginning I quite enjoyed spending time with both children. Keith came home in the afternoons on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so relieved the boredom a bit. The Cheltenham Festival was on which gave us a bit of interest but by the end of the week I was climbing the walls with both of them under my feet and couldn't wait to get back to work!
