Kids get sick. It’s part of growing up, builds up their immunity. It is even more common if your kids are in creche or school as they’ll get sick “6 or 7 times in the year” (as our Doctor once told us) as they’ll pick up what ever is going from all their little friends.

What’s worse is, if they get it, you the parent will probably get it too and their siblings will as well. Which is what of course happened to us last weekend. Tristan (our six month old baby) got sick on the Thursday. Friday night and Saturday I was sick. Saturday night Alice (our 3 and bit year old daughter) got sick and on Sunday Sophie (my wife) felt off and today she’s out of work sick. Great weekend!

But he is so adorable: small, soft and cuddly, you can help but love him. When he tries to lift his little head, his motions are like those clay-motion monsters from the seventies/sixties (you know like Jason and the Argonauts). I just want to hold him the whole time.

(If you want to see more pictures of Tristan, see my wife’s page. You’ll need a password, but just ask (leave a comment, send me an email, call me, etc.) and you shall receive.)

We thought little Tristan would be born a week before the due date, which was Monday. Sophie’s waters were low and so we thought he’d be induced. Well when that day came, everything was normally! He wasn’t coming out early.

Sophie started to get a bit potty at home, not able to do much, waiting for him to come. The due date, 18th June, came and went. Tristan was doing fine and was not going to come then.

Sophie’s blood pressure started to rise. But still, he did not want to come. So we decided it was better to induce the birth and it was all planned for Friday morning. So Thursday comes: 21st June, Summer solstice, first day of summer (if you go by the French), Midsummer night, the day when lots of pagans dance naked in the sunrise… we get all the stuff ready, travel all the way over to Grannies with Alice, our three year old daughter,… when Sophie starts to get contractions. The day before he was to be induced, he decides to come out! I told you he must have a wicked sense of humour.

A slightly mad dash across the M50 (not too busy at 9pm on Thursday night btw), arrived in the hospital with Sophie dilated about 2cm. In about an hour, 5cms. He really was coming now. At about 11pm, the epidural started to take effect on Sophie.

Alice had been a completely different kettle of fish. She came out early after being induced. Sophie’s blood pressure had been very high and there had been protein in her urine. And the labour was long, I think 8 hours or so. And in the end she had to be suctioned out. She came out screaming, with red hair. This time I was able to watch his little head push through. He started to appear, I think, around 11.30 or so, half an hour to midnight. And…

Tristan popped out at 11.48pm, 12 minutes to go. He didn’t have much hair and we couldn’t tell the colour. Instead of screaming… he just went for a sleep. That’s my boy!

Update: Sophie has corrected me on a number of details.

1. Tristan’s due date was actual the Tuesday 19th June (2007), not Monday the 18th.
2. Alice’s labour took a total of 12 hours, not the 8 that I was present for…
3. Alice was delivered used a forceps after the suction failed.

What an unusual weekend.

All at the same time as waiting for the call! When I get the call I have do a one hour mad-drive across town and then back again (drop my daughter with her Granny) and then head directly to the hospital’s labour ward…

Oddly, the weather doesn’t help. The car is too hot, I’m sweaty all the time, it’s too bright when I drive and why the hell do I have a cold when it’s so god-damn nice… but I guess that’s just my current inhibition about relaxing these days.

Sophie, my wife, is equally tired. She’s just read for baby to pop, but there isn’t much else to do but wait. She’s at the spicy food stage… which is small blessing for me as normally Sophie can’t stand spicy or hot food. Well she still can’t stand spicy or hot food, but she’s willing to try it, hoping it’ll make baby come sooner.

Maybe this time next week, there will be no posts. This will probably be a good thing. I’ll be listening to the cries of my second child rather that shouting out to the echoing dins of the web.

It’s terrifying and exciting time. My biggest fear is that my cold will get worse and I’ll get light-headed during Sophie’s labour and, potentially, faint near the end of it. Last time, it was eight hours with Alice. I coped well (I think). When Alice was born it was the most emotionally charged moment of my life, it is simply impossible to describe. I think my first words were either “she’s got red hair” or “she looks like me”. But I remember those eight hours, while I couldn’t do anything but look on and hold my wife’s hand.

I’m not sure I’m ready.

You should be able to click on them and see a bigger version.

I’ve uploaded *all* the scans (there is about 14 of them) to my wife’s blog. Sophie’s blog has photos and videos of Alice and the latest news on baby and family related. However you need a password to get in, so if your a “friend of the family” (ooohhh that sounds so gangster-ish), drop me or Sophie a line and we’ll give you the password.

We also got a DVD of the scan which has a few seconds of the 3D images moving in real-time. I haven’t gotten round to ripping the video yet so you’ll have to wait a little longer for that!

I know I’ve been very quiet. But you’ve got to admit, it is a very good excuse.

Due June 2006 2007, which means according to the Chinese Calender, he’ll be born in the year of the Golden Pig. Apparently this only comes around once every sixty years so it’s incredible lucky, if you believe that sort of stuff.

(Apparently I’m not the only Redbricker expecting a baby this year either…)

More photos and stuff over at my wife’s bloggy thing.

Oh, if you want to know if it’s a boy or a girl… well we know and it’s been officially confirmed since today’s scan. But I’m not going to tell you.