Nativity Play

Daniel's Nativity Play 2007

Nearly being Christmas meant it was time for Daniel's nativity play that his nursery stage at the local church. All the kids have great costumes and the whole thing provides half an hour of innocence away from political correctness and the general nastiness of the world.

We were a little worried the other "stars" may have amazing outfits but it seemed the other parents had exactly the same idea as us with sticking star shapes onto tops!!



Daniel was a star, literally. A tough outfit to make for him so we cut out some star shapes and covered them in foil - we them put them on a t-shirt he wore alot. With not long to go he wasn't happy with his top and we had to take a couple off but he was fine in the play and was great when he had to stand up.

Daniel's A Clever Boy!

Daniel Is Such A Clever Boy!

We've been really impressed by his progress over the last few weeks, with his speech and sentence-building.

Still not quite at 2 and a half, he's nearly always able to put his point across so we can understand. The other day we were talking about the fact we'd just had dinner with his Nana and I was explaining some of the things he'd had to eat - to which he replied "That's right Daddy, well done!" I nearly wet myself laughing!

I've managed to get him to say "Come On The Villa" a couple of times, whilst "Penalty" and "Touchdown" get some mentions. He still loves the darts and especially the music - talking of which he's still insistant on bouncing on the bed to his four favourite songs every time I get home.

"Bouncy boing on the bed with Daddy" - That greets me straight after "Hello" when I get in!



What has amazed us is his ability to point out shapes and tell us what they are. He has a drawing mat with a couple of stencils, one of which is full of shapes - he identified every single one including, oval, rectangle, square, circle, triangle, diamond and star. Not only that, but he's trying to make the shapes by using his fingers as well - I'm so seriously impressed.

He's not long had a hearing test which he passed with flying colours. He's doing really well at Nursery too, getting along with everyone and being really happy - especially when he sees his favourite big Yellow Bus go by in the morning while we wait at the entrance.

Danny loves kicking the ball in the back garden (and the small ones in the house) and can run with it very well now. He also likes whacking the smaller ones with a feather duster, pretending it's a golf club. His energy levels are very, very high and he can run about for ages and leave me flagging!

Favourite TV at the moment is still "In The Night Garden", closely followed by "Balamory". It has to be said though that "Underground Ernie" and "Bob The Builder" are running them close! We have to be careful that: a) He doesn't watch too much TV + b) He doesn't watch things he shouldn't (Like UFC Fighting for instance) as he's starting to mimmick everything!

Potty training has really come on a bundle in the last few days so all in all he's doing tremendously well and we're really pleased with him.

November 23 Update:

The health vistor popped round today - Daniel has has a huge growth spurt, especially in his height! She said whatever we feed him must be quite something!

Aside from the fact he's healthy and has just recovered from chicken pox (getting through it very well) his development continues at an amazing rate.



During one of many repeated plays of "Tom Hark" he noticed me doing a cymbal crash and proceeded to copy me. The thing is, he knows exactly when to come in with his version of a cymbal crash. At first I thought it was just luck, but he continued to time it perfectly.

Timing and height - surely the NBA beckons for Danny boy!

Daniel had his first visit to Ballyhoo and loved it. We'll be taking him again next week - plus his Nativity play at Nursery is looming and we need to get his STAR costume ready!!

Danny Wants To Feed Himself

When The Little Man Wants To Feed Himself!

Daniel has become very independant when it comes to his food. He'll shun most attempts of any help and usually ends up half-covered in whatever he was trying to eat!



He's doing very well with it though. Also, he has really taken to being read to, especially the "Apple Tree Farm" book which we know off by heart we've read it so much now!

He also has another book with pictures where we ask him where things are and he points them out. He seems to be very keen on learning and it's great to watch him doing it.

Daniel Is 2 Years Old

It just can't be two years since he arrived on the scene, surely?

Well, today is Daniel's second birthday and he's enjoying his presents and much more aware that something is "different" today. He'll be seeing plenty of relatives and friends over this weekend including Uncle Hatemanu later on for the Sheff Utd match.

He's done well with his presents, plenty of clothes and more of his favourite books. Not to mention a couple of big footballs, a slide for the garden and a Thomas The Tank Engine track that took 30 minutes just to set up!



Overall he's doing really well, his speech is coming along excellently and he's really bright and aware of everything that goes on around him. He loves his nursery three days a week and seems to enjoy cleaning up and playing in the garden the most - getting him back in from the garden is often the hardest part.

The odd tantrams are creeping in which is to be expected. His first one in whilst shopping happened in Tesco last weekend which included the lying on the floor, screaming when picked up and turning into a "bar of soap" - stretched out to the fullest making him hard to carry!

He was soon smiling again mind you!

He loves animals and can make all the noises of the various ones found on the farm, especially after seeing them all for real the other week. His independance shines through as he loves to walk everywhere and he always likes to have a try at things himself once we've shown him how.

Daniel really enjoys being outdoors and loves going up Crickley Hill and running in the wide open spaces - last week (wearing his Villa shirt) a couple walked by with the bloke saying "Good result yesterday" to which Daniel started chatting away - his first football conversation!

Anyway, his weekend continued with some swimming at Cheltenham Rec on Sunday morning, he's getting there but maybe a bit slowly. I'm not too sure of what sort of stage he should be at now he's two - he's fine in the water but the "kicking legs" part is taking some time!

Daniel's favourite songs at the moment are...

The Automatic - Monster (All the time - car and in the house!)

Gwen Stefani - Sweet Escape (Dad hates that one!!)

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Muse - Starlight

Well, that's where we are for now. Thanks to all the relatives and friends who sent stuff - we'll be contacting you soon!

It's time for the terrible two's to begin....

...In Balamory

Ahh, Balamory - Daniel's favourite programme which he watches with me every morning! He knows all the characters and which coloured houses they all live in.

This is closely followed by In The Night Garden where his favourite characters are Makka-Pakka and The Tombliboos. As an adult, this programme is quite a head-trip but he loves it and also knows it's time to "wind-down" and start thinking about being ready for bath time or bed.



At nearly 26 months Daniel is growing rapidly and is every inch the little boy, 100mph and into everything.

Clean teeth like Tombliboos!

He's getting pretty handy with the football in back garden and shouts GOAL whenever he kicks it hard. He still loves his books and drawing but his favourite occupation is getting hold of me when I get in from work and insisting on bouncing on the bed for 3 mintues and 38 seconds to "Monster" by The Automatic - a song he loves!

Daniel even has his own CD at the moment as he loves his music and is always asking for songs to be played again and again. On the CD are....

1) Balamory Theme Tune

2) The Automatic - Monster

3) Planet Funk - Chase The Sun (Darts music which he goes Oi! Oi! to)

4) Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

5) Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

6) Mad Caddies - Don't Go

7) Mastermix Allstarz - Tom Hark Remix

8) The Feeling - Sewn

9) David Guetta Vs The Egg - Love Don't Let Me Go

10) Soup Dragons - I'm Free

...and another 10 after that!

Daniel Hits 18 Months!

Daniel will be 18 months old this weekend.

Plenty of words coming out of his mouth at the moment - "Mummy, Daddy, Baby and Bubbles" all seem favourite ones of his. He can kick a ball rather well when instructed and is very mobile, getting anywhere and everywhere. If we let him walk anywhere outside he's off and has very little fear, thus he has to be watched very carefully!

A couple of weeks ago he had tonsilitus which he duly passed onto me! This week he had an allergic reaction to something and his upper lip become very swollen causing the nursery and his parents much anguish and no doubt loss of years at the end of our lives.

Danny still loves watching The Hoobs and is very active first thing in the morning - occasionally he'll just lie and watch it with me but more often he jumps around on me making me more tired than when I woke up!

He's pointing out pictures in his books very well and it doesn't take him long to learn how to use things. He loves music and dancing around - he's got Dad's tendancy for the heavier stuff but also likes mobile phone adverts for some reason - Bedowin Soundclash (When the night feels my soul) seems to be a favourite.

He's still very good when we're out in town or shopping and his sleep patterns remain good too. He has very few problems when eating and tends to like virtually everything that is put in front of him - he feeds himself a little too now although that means the food can go pretty much anywhere!

He's our little star!

Slapped Cheek Disease - Poor Daniel!

Danny's really been through the mill over the last couple of weeks.

The weekend before last he'd developed a bad rash around the nappy area but this got far worse and spread over his back, body and neck. It was very red and raised - almost like a burn mark.



The Out Of Hours Doctors were very good and assured us he'd had an allergic reaction (his 2nd) - we were told that as long as he stayed well within himself and kept running around etc that he would be fine. And he was.

Then last weekend I pulled him up using both hands off the floor and heard his left wrist click. He was in a lot of pain and we soon decided we needed to get him down to A&E. The Doctor confirmed a bone running down the elbow had popped out of a socket, apparently very common in young children - it was soon back in place and after a day or two of discomfort it was all back to normal. Still didn't stop me from feeling very guilty.

Now over the last few days he's been getting a bright rash on his cheek and ear whilst generally being a bit lethargic and wanting cuddles all the time.

Today's Doctor confirmed "Slapped Cheek Disease" sometimes called the fifth disease and is an infection caused by the Parvovirus B19 virus. Daniel is a bit young to be getting this, but he should only get it once. His higher temperature is one of the symptoms and it could last another week although now his rash has appeared he's no longer infectious.

Poor little mite - he seems to catch everything.

Let's hope he's fit for his first ever nativity play tomorrow...

Daniel's First Nativity Play

It had the potential to make the local papers - I could see it.

Parents with cameras ready to take their pictures were looking around as the news spread that cameras and videos would not be allowed. One parent said she was taking pictures and had already had an argument with the Nursery Manager about this last year.

I was ready to ask the 50 or so parents there whether they had any objections - especially as nursery management had taken pictures back-stage and I wasn't having one rule for them and one for us.

I was envisaging telling Daniel why I had no reminders of his first ever nativity play in a few years time.

Fortunately common sence prevailed. With parents getting more annoyed by politcal correct crap we were informed that as long as no-one there in the building objected we could take pictures. What a sad state of affairs that it even came to that.

Anyway, Daniel was fantastic as a teddy bear - he sat still and clapped even when the baby next to him had a tantrum and had to be taken off stage! We were very proud of him and amazed he kept his costume on as previously he couldn't wait to take it off! The whole play was great and the kids were brilliant.



Today he'll get to meet Santa - but only after a little injection at the Doctors, a bit of roller-coaster ride for him today! He's also met our dentist as well this morning and slept through an hour of Christmas shopping in the High St.

A nativity play at Christmas with parents allowed to take pics of their own children. So the final score at Hucclecote Community Church was Common Sense 1 Political B*llocks 0. Long may it stay that way.

Daniel Is Growing Up So Fast!

Daniel Is Growing Up So Fast

Over the last ten days, Daniel has come on leaps and bounds, especially as he's come through his weeks of being ill.

In just a few days from tentatively moving forward he now crawls at great pace - especially if it means knocking over his tower of blocks! He can make one end of the front room to the other in no time at all and now finds crawling at speed highly amusing.

He now sits up by himself by manouvering himself backwards and greeted us in his cot the other morning by being sat up with a big smile! Reaching things on the table has become quite easy so precautions have now been taken. He enjoys having his books read to him and also feeling the pages - he's starting to mimick certain words such as "flower" and "apple".



Daniel will be off to see Dr Blecher in Kensington next Sunday for his second review on his Cranio Helmet. After progressing from 2.9mm to 1.4mm we're hoping he'll have got to the 0.something bracket - then with some luck it will be all done by June.

Danny now also owns "Thomas The Tank Engine" pyjamas too!

Into April We Go.....

Part 2 of last weekend's London double-header was a visit to Kensington to see Dr Blecher for Daniel's second helmet review.

His plagio measurment is now 1.1cm (originally it was 2.9) so still in the moderate bracket which was slightly disappointing. We have to remember though that any improvements are slower as he gets older and we were warned that we may only get an 80% success rate due to our health visitor not giving us the real facts.

His head is much better and so are the features on his face so overall we have to be very pleased. An additional bonus is that the helmet has saved him from all sorts of bumps as he bangs his head on things as he becomes more inquisitive!

First Visit To The Park

Daniel had his first visit to Pittville Park today and certainly enjoyed looking at the birds and ducks.

Wearing his little Villa jacket, he seemed to like the swing best of all. He had a busy day and is now standing up all the time by holding onto the sofa - he's also had a few tentative steps forward as well so it won't be long before he's walking!

The last few weeks have been a blur - he's gone from hardly crawling at all to being all over the place, standing up and now some small steps. He is learning so fast it's frightening - we even cleaned his 3 teeth this morning.

05/05/06

One year ago today at 18.32 little Daniel entered the world and it seems like it was only five minutes ago to us.

He's had a busy day today, up early and bathed and given the day off from wearing the Cranio helmet on his special day. He's seen all the Grand-parents and been driven around in his now "front-facing" car seat which he enjoys. It's been very warm though and he fell asleep for an hour on me earlier and he's having another nap now - hence me having time to do this.

Loads of presents and cards from so many people - thankyou everyone. You'll be pleased to know he found the gold ribbon more interesting to play with than most of his new stuff!

Daniel has been given loads of new clothes, he now owns Villa & England shirts and also has a few others England garments. Plenty of shorts and jeans and two basketball outfits which he'll look great in once the really hot weather arrives.



He was lucky enough to get a bit of money too which we'll put towards some shoes for him - we wanted to get his feet measured but there was a huge queue so we decided to leave it until next week when we can get there early!

I'll add a photo or two once I've uploaded them from the camera - he's become a bit camera shy over the last two or three days which is unusual for him. I've got some nice shots but getting him to smile proved very difficult although once the camera is put away the cheeky grin returns.

Anyway, we can't believe he's one - he's been through plenty in his first year but we've loved every minute of it and he's been so good through all his little problems and illnesses.

Happy birthday son - Mum & Dad think you're flippin' brilliant!

Plagiocephaly - 10 More Weeks Of The Helmet 4/6/06

We headed down to Kensington for the fifth time today, hoping that this might be Daniel's last day in his Cranio helmet.

As it turned out, he will have another ten weeks of helmet-wearing but the news was much better than we had hoped for. The asymmetry of Daniel's head is now down to 0.4cm which was excellent to hear - the original measurement was 2.9cm (severe) and then the second measurement was 1.4cm. The third one was the disappointment as it was only 1.1cm and as it turns out it may have been because we didn't have the helmet quite tight enough.

Anyway, today'S 0.4cm reading means Daniel is now well into the "mild" form of Plagio - obviously we were hoping that would be that but Dr Blecher thinks this final phase will see a complete correction of the problem - after that it really will be goodbye to the helmet but Dr Blecher is convinced that this will be the best for Daniel and will mean as parents we have done everything possible for him after he had such a rough start.

Daniel was a star today after he was so good considering the boiling weather. We had him dressed in his basketball kit so he could be as cool as possible - we had a great 45 minutes in Kensington Park which he enjoyed too. The weather was fantastic and there were loads of people taking advantage of the summer sun. The Ice Cream man was also trying to take advantage by charging £2.50 for an ice cream! We declined to do business there!

The traffic was kind to us today. Going into London was probably the best it's ever been (as normally it's a mare, especially Kensington High St) and even on the way out we kept moving - now we have one more trip in mid-August and our visits to London will be over.

Dr Blecher said straight away how much more improved his head looked - the line on the front of his face by his mouth has gone, his overall neck movement is excellent and his head is rounding off so well. Danny even behaved himself during the measurement - in the past, like most babies, he's cried and screamed rather a lot!

Seeing Dr Blecher and getting that little white helmet was the best thing we ever did.

At 6.12pm on Thursday June 15th, the Wayne Rooney saga finally ended when he entered the field of play for England's second World Cup game against Trinidad & Tobago. Please let that be an end to it all - it's unbearable.

Far more momentous though was that at exactly that point Daniel took his first real steps in the world. He's been using a walker which he really enjoys and taking the odd step before falling down. Last night though as Rooney ran, Daniel walked - he took five or six good steps before getting to his target. After much applause from us he decided to go for it again and again - he was rather impressed with himself!

Two weeks on and his walking has improved massively and he can also climb the stairs under supervision. We have a stairgate up but gave him the chance to see what he could do yesterday and he amazed us! Where's our baby gone?!

Daniel's Treatment Is All But Over...

Sunday September 24th will be Daniel's last day in his Cranio Helmet. He started wearing his "special hat" on December 11th 2005 and has been wearing it for twenty-three hours a day ever since with just the odd days off when he's had sores or been very poorly.



The last session of the treatment has been a bit of an anti-climax as we'd have liked one final measurment of his head. Although we were told another appointment wouldn't be needed we were quite happy to make one final visit to London. Unfortunately Dr Blecher hasn't replied to emails for whatever reason so we're left a little in limbo as regards final statistics.

Anyway, as I've kept saying, it's the best thing we ever did for Daniel, worth all the stares, and his head is so much better as a result. Thankyou so much to the under-trained health-visitor who got us going on the road to all of this for being so blatantly ignorant.

On a more serious note though, thanks to my Mum who got us in touch with someone in a similar situation - that really did get us going in the right direction.

Introduction To Plagiocephaly

Helmet Day - December 11th 2005

We took Daniel to see a specialist Doctor in London today for the second time, and on this occasion he has been fitted with a special "helmet" which will rapidly help his condition.

Ever since a few weeks old we noticed a distinct flattening on the right hand side of the back of his head. This was mentioned on several occasions to the Health Visitor who told us repeatedly that "it would get better", or "get him to look one way when led down"

This information proved to be not only incorrect, but a waste of valuable time in treating the problem. It is obvious now from talking to so many other people that most Health Visitors and alot of Doctors are not in possesion of the facts and knowledge when it comes to this problem.

The Doctor mentioned his head after a visit for another illness and seemed concerned.

In the end it was obvious that the NHS would be offering us nothing in the way of help and we were put in touch with Dr Chris Blecher, a specialist who comes over from Germany every two weeks to a house in Kensington.



Daniel's head was measured and he was in the "severe" bracket - he's had all the symptoms, one ear bigger than the other, ear infections and the onset of excema. The problems would also affect the front of his face and jaw-line if not treated.

Although very expensive, Daniel now has his helmet fitted and we can expect to see the flattened part of his head improve over the next few weeks. He'll wear it for 23 hours a day - with one hour off at around bath time where he (and the helmet!) get a thorough cleaning. In 8 weeks we go back to Dr Blecher for a review.

Danny has taken to the helmet very well and acts as if it wasn't there. It doesn't hinder him at all and he probably had his best nights sleep in ages last night. He'll probably wear it for the next six to seven months after which a baby's head growth change is minimal so it won't be needed.

Here is a quick introduction into this problem:

While many babies are born with an abnormal head shape, which comes as a result of the birth, most newborn heads will revert to a normal shape by the time the baby is six weeks old. If an abnormal shape persists or is not noticed until after six weeks, it is important to determine what may be wrong.

Due to the malleable nature of a baby’s skull, repeated external pressure can cause a skull deformity known as positional or deformational plagiocephaly. The repeated external pressure applied to one side of the back of the head, or to the whole of the back of the head can cause flattening.

Plagiocephaly is the umbrella term for three types of positional head deformity – plagiocephaly, brachycephaly and scaphocephaly:

With plagiocephaly, the side that is flattened will often be accompanied by a prominent forehead, which when viewed from above will give the head a parallelogram shape instead of a normal symmetric oval shape. It is also common for the baby to have misaligned ears - the ear on the affected side may be pulled forward and down and be larger than the unaffected ear.

There is also sometimes asymmetry of the face, with the affected side having a fuller cheek and a more prominent appearance. Facial asymmetry can also include a jawbone that is tilted, and an eye that appears displaced and mismatched in size. Facial asymmetry is when one side of the face does not match up with the other side. Essentially, the face appears lopsided, or simply does not look right.

Problems associated with plagiocephaly

It was initially believed that plagiocephaly was only a cosmetic disorder because it does not restrict brain growth or cause brain damage. However, some sources say that plagiocephaly can cause other problems, including: Eye problems and visual disturbances and difficulties;

Inner ear problems, ear infections and hearing problems; migraine headaches;

TMJ problems - the temporormandibular joint is the joint that operates the jaw and problems include temporormandibular joint syndrome and chewing and eating difficulties.

There is the additional possibility of children suffering psychological problems due to having an abnormal head shape


Looking Forward To My 1st New Years Eve!

Well, this young man did rather well with his Christmas presents - that Santa was a busy chap! He certainly has enough clothes to last till the summer and is far better dressed than either of us!

We dressed him up as Santa on the day and he looked great. His slightly younger cousin, Ruby, was dressed as a fairy and between them they stole the show - and virtually all the presents!

He's now had the Cranio Helmet on for 19 days and it seems to have helped him already in that he's certainly much calmer and happier - the Helmet has clearly eased his pressure points and hopefully the back of his head is starting to respond.

He has developed a loud piercing squeal though, much like a girl but with the power to make his parents almost deaf!

Brilliant Progress For Daniel! 5/2/06

It was Daniel's first review today with Dr Blecher and we arrived in Kensington this morning hoping the news would be good.

His first Plagio measurement was 2.9cm (severe) - today's was 1.4cm and in the moderate band! It was fantastic news and better than both of us had hoped for - a 1.5cm improvement in 8 weeks. The helmet was re-adjusted so he has a bit more room at the front and also for the flat part at the back of the head again.

Dr Blecher was really pleased with this progress and we are so chuffed - one in the eye for the Doctor, Health Visitor and some other parents who didn't agree. He also read part of the letter the NHS sent us regarding Daniel and said it was "rubbish". Just as we suspected!

Plus Daniel has been good as gold all day despite being in a car seat for four hours! He even met his Great Uncle Tony in Swindon on the way back so he's had a busy day.

He's been a star - good news all round.

Now he's 9 months and a real personality is shining through. He finds sneezing very amusing and likes being tickled - he always likes someone to be around and does tend to cry if one of us goes into the kitchen and leaves him, even if it's just for 10 seconds.

He eats extremely well and tends to accept virtually everything that is put in front of him. He loves his yoghurt and likes nicking the end of my ice-cream!

Daniel is doing fine at nursery - he takes great intertest in what the other children are doing and loves looking in the mirror. He's started to know that when I'm dropping him off that I'm going to leave him. He will look at me a bit forlorn before I go which is quite sad for me.

He's coming along great, and this helmet has helped him so much. When I read about untreated babies and the problems they now have with eyes, ears and other parts of the face it makes me very proud to know we've done as much as we can for our boy.

Lots Of Illness As We Hit 10 months 5/3/06

It's been a bad 3 weeks as far as illnesses go. Basically Daniel gets something at nursery and then kindly passes it onto Mum and Dad! We had the projectile vomiting first and then a nasty cough that just won't shift.

Daniel has been mimicking words as you read to him and today took a small step while being held. Normally he wouldn't move like that while stood up but this was a big surprise. He still cannot crawl forwards but can go backwards, sideways and can spin round. He can get anywhere he needs too!

He's going off his formula now too but still has it last thing at night. He's going great though and were so chuffed with him.

Hello World! My Name Is Daniel

Hello World, My Name Is Daniel!


Our little addition has finally made an entrance, albeit a bit late.
Baby CT is a little boy called Daniel who weighed in at 8 pounds and 4 ounces. Born at 18.32 on 05/05/05, he's absoulutely gorgeous and is well and healthy.
Mum is doing really well, has been very brave and will have a few days in hospital now for some very well earned rest.



The staff at Cheltenham General Hospital are fantastic beyond words - the Midwives and the Doctors, I can't say enough good things about them and thank-you just isn't adequate enough.
Suffice to say that the experience was the most amazing of my life and impossible to put into words. Certainly 18.32 on May 5th 2005 will be a moment I will never forget until the day I die when our little boy cried after arriving into the world.
There's a new little Villain in town!


Our List Of Thank-You's To All At Cheltenham General Hospital
To all the midwives and staff at Snowshill Ward, who looked after us so well before Daniel was born, especially Jane and Sarah who were there near the end.
To the midwives (especially Sam) and Doctors upstairs in the Theatre who carry out the most complex work and still manage to talk about everyday, mundane things while they're doing it. Incredible, amazing people.
To the fantastic midwife who looked after us in the Special Care Baby Unit where Daniel spent just one night. She reassured all the time - I wish we could have brought her home with us.
To the Midwives at Bibury ward who advise and help all the time with the parents of the new borns. We met some lovely people in there.
Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou.
Mexican Wave before I'm one day old? No problem!

The health visitor came yesterday (June 1st) and Daniel had his first hearing test which came back positive. He is alert and starting to respond to his new surroundings which is reassuring for us.

In a few weeks he will have the first of his injections - the last one was a small one in the heel of his foot but he cried so much, it was really sad to hear him, so we're not looking forward to those!



He's had some full days of crying and being unsettled but night times are generally good. He tends to like motion, being in the car, pram etc and likes having his hair washed. Bath time is a mix as he likes the bath but isn't so keen on having his ears and eys cleaned!

**Now He's 2 Months**

He's really settled down, starting to smile and gurgle. He sleeps really well for about 5 hours at night and has been really good, even in the very hot weather we had recently.



After one particularly bad day at work I was upstairs getting changed, feeling pretty down and just talked to him while I was there. The smiling response was worth it's weight in gold and made me realise how insignificant the odd difficult work collegue actually is.

We're both getting more used to being Mummy and Daddy now and everything that entails. He's had his 2 month injections and was very brave despite a few tears.

We've got a new HP digital camera now and have some excellent photo's of him.

12 Weeks - It's Time For A Swim

July 31st - Daniel had his first swim today.

We thought we were a bit mental being outside the Cheltenham Rec at 8am on a Sunday morning but clearly we were not. By 9am the pool was full and soon the staff closed it until people left!

Daniel really enjoyed the warm kiddies pool. Looking quite the cute boy, armed with his nappy trunks and armbands he was happy as anyone as we walked him in. He soon started kicking his legs a little bit although he wasn't quite as keen on his back.

He was getting lots of adoring looks from everyone else as we floated him around the pool. He lasted about 25 minutes before getting a bit restless so we were quite pleased with that. We'll be back there in two weeks.

19 Weeks.....

Daniel is now sleeping in his own cot after moving on from the moses basket. He tends to wake up at odd times but only because he loses his dummy - generally he sleeps very well and always seems to be smiley and happy when he take him out in the morning.

He's been swimming a few more times as well and is just starting to grasp the idea of kicking his feet while we move him around.

He now has his first England shirt which I just couldn't resist although the night they were humbled by Northern Ireland, he was wearing a green and white striped top! Spooky!

He's still a very happy baby, very ticklish and has started to laugh and chuckle a lot. Already we look at photos of him and say "aahh, he was so small then" - time passes very quickly!

Nearly Six Months!

Daniel's First Aston Villa Outfit. It had to happen sooner rather than later.

Daniel was bought his first Villa "outfit" from the Villa Village by a friend of ours the other day and these are the first pictures. I actually bought him a coat from the club shop at the end of last season but it was age 12-18 months so there was obviously going to be a delay in wearing it.

Anyway, he's been a bought a "Star Villa Player" top, some claret bottoms and some great Villa booties. He also has a Villa drinking cup in club colours and a sign for his door with "Daniel's Room" in Claret and Blue underneath the club badge.

Some might say he's doomed already! I would add he's yet to be sick on any of his new Villa items which, believe me is a great sign.

Daniel has been a bit ill recently but has been so happy and smiley even when he's not been feeling good. We've been so proud of him as he's also started a day and a half weekly at a local nursary where he's fitted in amazingly well allaying any fears we first had.

He's now rolling over and nearly crawling and is very active and bright. It will also not be very long before some solid foods come into mealtimes - prepare for food evreywhere!

Being Ill

Since being around the six months mark Danny has been through the mill when it comes to being ill.

First he was covered in spots and went very lifeless and was taken straight to the Doctors where he was diagnosed with an ear infection. He was then developing a cough which he very chesty - this still hasn't gone (Nov 16) despite trying Tyxlix and Meltol cough medicine.

Then he was diagnosed with eczema and was perscribed some cream and yet more medicine. Despite still trying to be a happy little guy, he has had more restless nights than normal, waking up coughing - almost seemingly choking and scaring the life out of his parents. Add this to the teething and you can see he's having a really bad run of things.

He's just starting to take proper food in the last week but has generally been quite tearful and upset - in fact only his magical Nana has been able to keep him calm and fed! The last few weeks have been really hard work and psychologically exhuasting.

Why is it that you have to virtually beg to get a Doctors appointment for a child?