Tallulah Ruth, born Sunday 23rd January at 7am, by C-section. 5lb 6 oz, brown hair, blue eyes (at the monent anyway).
She's beautiful. 8)
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
This is the scariest thing I have read in a very long time.
Congrats.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Woah. I did not even know you were expecting.
All the best for you and yours, Lee.
...y'know, it's not too late to change her name to something a tad less exotic. The life you save may be your own and all that.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Congratulations, Lee to you and your wife. Tallulah eh? Not from the Tori Amos song of the same name perhaps
I did find this via google, although I had to spell it with only one l. Although the double l came up with lots of hits reguarding the Tallulah Gorge State Park and Tallulah Falls etc. in Georgia.
This was a hit from a baby-names website:
TALULAH Gender: Female Meaning: Leaping Water Origin: Native American
Choctaw.
Posted by Nim' (Member # 205) on :
It makes me think of Turonga Leela. I'm happy for you, Lee. How is Kate? I suppose she's glad to get it over with. Was it "on schedule"?
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
That was totally the biggest bomb somebody ever set us up on ever.
Well done, you old fart. B)
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Neat!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Are you still in New Zealand Lee? Is it a Kiwi baby?
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
Congratulations, Lee. "Tallulah Ruth Kelly" just sounds beautiful. Kids with weirdish names grow up better.
Not to pry into anything too personal, but was this the medical condition you cited as one of the reasons for your return to the UK?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
You still have time to change her middle name to "Coola". That way her name rolls of the toungue as "Tallulah Coola Kelly".
She'd be huge in Hawaii!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Balaam Xumucane: Congratulations, Lee. "Tallulah Ruth Kelly" just sounds beautiful. Kids with weirdish names grow up better.
Not to pry into anything too personal, but was this the medical condition you cited as one of the reasons for your return to the UK?
Is your name really Balaam?
Oh and thanks for answering my question while prying into Lee's personal life. I think he returned to the UK for a foreskin reconstruction.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Yes, this was the medical condition he cited before. I believe he said it would have cost a fortune for Kate to give birth in NZ, so they moved back to the UK. He didn't want everyone to know about the baby at the time so no one told...
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
That's correct. Thanks all. And yes, Tallulah means exactly that, and it's even better given she's an Aguarius like my wife. Once we chose the name we stuck to it, even after some annoying minor soap star shose to name her baby that, or when we discovered that our other favoured name, Tamsin, is actually derived from the female version of Thomas, our preferred boy's name, chosen for Kate's favourite grandfather who dies recently. We still weren't totally sure until we saw her. She looks like a Tallulah.
It was a long haul. Kate's various medical conditions made giving birth a risky proposition but the NHS care we've had was fantastic. Midwife in the room for the whole 24 hours - even if we did get through three shifts of them - and Kate's favourite anaesthetist there at all the crucial stages. I'm knackered and have spent most if today asleep; going to go back in to the hospital now. Photos to follow. 8)
Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
Congratulations, Lee!
With our almost 3 month head start with our little girl, I�ll be here to answer all your questions.
I won�t be able to answer correctly mind you, but I�ll provide answers nonetheless.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by Mighty Blogger Snay (Member # 411) on :
Lee: Awesome!
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I know I am. 8)
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
Better put those phasers on a high shelf. :-)
CONGRATS!!!
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I'm still figuring out how to just hold her, child-proofing our entire household will have to languish in the nether regions of my to-do list for now!
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
At least you still have fourteen or so years until you need to have your evil stare perfected to scare off the boys.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Pictures?
Congrats Lee.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Congratulations Lee. The only advice I can offer is not to drop her. My brother did that with my nephew once, down the stairs, and it wasn't good. Although he did become better at Mario Kart, strangely enough.
And wasn't Tallulah a fake name Pheobe made up for Monica when she ordered a race-car bed for her?
Posted by Daryus Aden (Member # 12) on :
Maaaaaaate. Congrats!
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Congrats. Have fun while you can they grow up very quickly. Always be her dad, but make sure you become her friend.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Photos - a bit dark, but they're still under observation and I didn't want to use the flash if I could avoid it.
Posted by Krenim (Member # 22) on :
All hail the new Spoiler Goddess!
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Baby!
Posted by Doctor Jonas (Member # 481) on :
Ohhh, she's so small and cute. And you're so big. You look like a gorilla holding a poor baby.
Congrats, Lee! Put her to watch Enterprise as soon as she leaves the guard.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I'm convinced the baby's like 12 pounds and you're a giant mutant.
Very cute kid though: bask in parental glow, you lucky sap.
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lee: Photos - a bit dark, but they're still under observation and I didn't want to use the flash if I could avoid it.
Awww, wook at her widdle fingers and tootsies...
Posted by Nim' (Member # 205) on :
Such a cute little thing.
There's something about that second pic, though I can't put my finger on it, it reminds me of someone. Hmm.
Posted by Wee Bairns (Member # 1324) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Great, just when I thought I'd gotten past people telling me I looked like Mr. Joshua. . .
Posted by Nim' (Member # 205) on :
Homage, "plain and simple".
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
There should be a warning put in place before anyone posts any pictures of gary busey! UGH! LOL!
Lee - she looks like you.
Posted by Tora Ziyal (Member # 53) on :
Oh my god. Congratulations Lee! You must be so proud.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I am. 8)
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
My God, has it really only been three months?
Lula is a fantastic baby. From the moment we moved into our new place, she's been sleeping through the night. She's lerant to smile and chuckle, and is so attentive, follows you with her eyes everywhere. Originally we were changing her nappy before her feed, in order ot not move her around to much and make her sick - but she's now wise to this and poops mid-feed with a disarmingly coy look on her face.
She looks very attentive. ... Now that there is a cat!
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
That there is a huge cat.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
He is big, yes. Not necessarily fat as such - now they're out of quarantine - but just big. He has all the local cats terrorised and we've only lived here a month and a half. Between squirming baby on chest and dead-weight sleeping cat on my lap, I was seriously pinned. . .
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Sleeping through the night already? Bastard. My son started sleeping through around 4 months, but my daughter, who is now 16 months old, STILL hasn't slept through the night completely. Of course, these two are complete opposites, so everything that was easy with Rob is very difficult with Katie, and vice versa.
And - quarantine?
B.J.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I'm guessing because the cats went from New Zealand to the UK.
She's starting to look like her father, too. Except not ginger, so that's alright.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
The cats. Back from New Zealand. Had to spend 3 months in quarantine - a reduction fromm the usual 6, but they'd been vaccinated against rabies and would qualify for a "Pet Passport" six months after the date of a satisfactory blood test (which happens a month after the vaccination); so seven months from when we'd decided to move back would have been fine. . . But we only had four months. So they had to do part of the time. At vast fucking expense.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I call her "Mini-Me." 8)
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
That's a cat? What did you feed the beast down in NZ, genetically modified kiwis? B)
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Oh, he's not that big. He just stretches out. Let me see if I can find another pic. Nya-ti-ta-tah. . . My Documents. . . tum-ti-tum. . . Shared Pictures. . . Dooby-doo. . . Kate's pussy - oops, wrong folder. . . Aha!
He does sleep a lot though. . .
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
If you'd met Lee, you'd realise that he's actually only 4 feet tall, therefore Frazzle is a perfectly normal cat. Unlike Dizzy, who is staring you out. She pwns you. Fear.
Posted by Nim' (Member # 205) on :
Man, those cats have been on the inside, it's in their eyes. I'll wager Fraz has some nice black letters on his claws now.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
OK, the not-even-remotely-eagerly-awaited six-month update!
It's really scary the way the time goes. The idea that six months would go by just like that seemed impossible all the way back then.
Tallulah is now eating solids three times a day (out of only four feeds, a distinct improvement on having up to eight bottles a day back when she was a newborn) - porridge in the morning, fruit puree and yoghurt for lunch, and mashed veg with fish or chicken in the evening. She does enjoy it although the high chair becomes a battleground for control of the bowl and spoon.
Developmentally, she's learned to roll over but still hasn't quite got the hang of crawling. And may never, because she's learnt to grasp our fingers and pull herself up to her feet and stand there - she can even walk after a fashion; at this rate by nine months she'll be fully mobile and running us ragged. She loves the water and isn't phased by the bath or the swimming pool.
Photos are. . . NOT on my USB key like I was going to put them for uploading, so I'll have to do them tonight. Bugger.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
This is when kids are at their cutest. Everyone says "aww" when they see a newborn, but they're secretely wondering why they look like a dried out raisin. But at this point they are undeniably cute. Enjoy it, because she'll be two soon and it's downhill from there.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
I'm actually surprised someone on this board hasn't hit on her already.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
I see much of her father in her.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
*sigh*
That's what I'm afraid of.
Posted by Daryus Aden (Member # 12) on :
Nice to see things are going well. How many hours sleep are you getting each night?
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Cute! BTW, if anything gets broken because you didn't childproof it well enough, you didn't need it anyway!
Oh, and want to see what they get into at 19 months?
B.J.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Oh, dear Lord! She's vocal enough as it is. Her mother can talk my legs off, but I suspect Lula will be able to persuade me to go for a walk afterwards. I'll wait another year before I start worrying about musical instruments.
Ever since we phased out the midnight feed about a month ago, we get a full uninterrupted evening and night, as she goes to bed at around 7 or 8 after her evening meal. We never put her in her cot during the day (she often naps in the playmat) so she knows when she's put to bed it's bedtime. There's the occasional grizzle (like last night; I think we're facing a weekend of full-on teething action). She then wakes at around 7am (8am at weekends), rolls over and plays with her teddies until we come to get her.
That's Clinton she's playing with, BTW. Someone in NZ bought it, from some Aussie equivalent of the Teddy Bear Factory, and the name was on it. We've kept the name since it's bound to enrage some Republicans at some point.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Everyone says "aww" when they see a newborn, but they're secretely wondering why they look like a dried out raisin.
And everyone also secretly wonders why some people just keep looking like that.
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Very cute. Don't forget to tell her when she is 16 that she was much cuter when she was bald. Drives them nuts. Good luck moving the books, seems like you will have to do it sooner than you think.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Lee, you will have to accept that you will not be able to childproof *everything*. Both my kids, soon after they became fully mobile, decided that it was their job to "reorganize" our CD collection. That involved them taking every single CD out of its slot and stacking it in the middle of the floor. Fortunately, they quickly lose interest in most things that aren't toys. The only things you absolutely have to concern yourself with are things that would hurt her if she got ahold of it. It would be nice to keep your books out of reach (and therefore intact!), but it's not a necessity. The bookshelf, however, should be anchored to the wall, since that could potentially fall over (if it's tall enough).
B.J.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Since the last update, literally zeroes of people have emailed me to inquire as to when the next one would be. "In, er, three months time" was my sage reply. Lula is now 9 months old (or, she's been out longer than she was in, as my wife put it).
Lula can now crawl, and does so with great enthusiasm. The cats are looking increasingly harried - their reaction so far can be likened to Galileo: "It moves!" She has two bottom teeth. When it became clear that a 4 o'clock feed was interfering with her appetite for her main evening meal, we cut that out so she's now on three solids a day. Latest bizarre culinary liking: hummus. I kid you not.
She can also talk with great conviction on many disparate topics - not that anyone else can understand her, however. Words that can be made out so far are "Mama," "Daddy" and "cat." So she has her priorities right, at least.
There's a flare in the picture Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Things important to Lee:
His family. A closely-mown lawn.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Huh. Molting season, is it?
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lee: She can also talk with great conviction on many disparate topics - not that anyone else can understand her, however. Words that can be made out so far are "Mama," "Daddy" and "cat." So she has her priorities right, at least.
My Nephew (about 14 months) can say Dad-Dad, Tractor, Teddy, Pa and woof! That's as much as I know/have heard - I don't think he's said Mum/ma-ma yet - Maybe once - on his birthday!
What a collection of words!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Things important to Lee:
His family. A closely-mown lawn.
A tube-steel fence.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I'm rapidly becoming a connoisseur of children's play areas. This one (a park near where we live) is in nice surroundings, but isn't very well appointed. And the flooring material soaks up and retains too much water, I got a wet knee when hunkered down to take a photo. Top recommendations would have to be Blaise Castle in Bristol, Gloucester Park, and Victoria Park in Burgess Hill. Gloucester Park had the most cool-looking things I wanted to have a go on myself, but there were too many kids around using them. Bah.
A common feature of all is the waist-high steel fence. I presume to keep the marauding packs of fighting dogs, barely restrained by their chav owners, from getting into the play area.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I've noticed now - at least in Brisbane they have shops that are basically huge play areas... like a maze of swings and bridges and balls etc etc - and it has a cafe (for the parents presumably). Now why didn't they have that sort of stuff when we were growing up!?!