It was raining again today and a bit colder. I got up at 0530h and started to potter around the house as once again I could not sleep. I gave the hoover a run around, swept outside and did various things to welcome little Heidi home.

I was not sure whether I would of course return home with the "girls" but set out anticipating this anyway. I put the car seat in the back this time as we cannot switch the airbag of in the front, but it all seems OK.

Once in the hospital at 0915 I find Rachel looking as if she has had a big tidy up, dressed on the bed with bags packed. I grabbed the opoortunity of having a last breakfast in the Bayview Restaurant and toddled off to get a Herald as I passed by the little shop. No badge today so I will have to pay full price. I get my usual "breakfast special" for £2.09 and study it. It is very similar looking tot he breakfasts in Bristol which were nice and it must be the sausages. They are a uniform five inches long, 3/4" wide and a mid-tan colour. Pink minced pork in the middle and a taste that it well.... Butchers sausages they are not but they do the job very well. Perhaps there is a standard specification of NHS sausages out there?

Rachel had been told that she can head home subject to baby's weight, and Rachels Hb (iron) levels. This sounds great in practice but we have first hand personal experience of waiting for some simple tasks and before you know it, it is nearly 1700h and everyone has gone home for the weekend.

In Bristol we lost several rare opportunities to go out for the day, by waiting for a blood count or an infusion of some drug, only to be asked at 1600h why we were still sitting there. The opportunity had been lost and it was not worth going out again, so we would stay in. It only happened a handful of times but you cannot turn back time.

Heidis weight ended up being 8.5% less than at birth which is good, and so the Hb needed to be checked. Poor Rachel had had some needles in her arm earlier in the day which did not succeed, so she waited for a second or third attempt.

By now it was nearing 1400h, so waiting for the test results may take hours, so we were starting to get a bit edgey.

Common sense prevailed and we were allowed to go, with the result being 'phoned through to us later if there was a problem.

Heidi was booked out and into the cold air for the short trip home.

She slept all the way and we arrived to meet a neighbour who was interested in the latest, so Heidi met Ricky.

Once in we started to sort things, and read through the cards which have started to plop through the letter box. One unnamed package with some towelling bibs was amongst the bootie, so if that was you who sent it, please let me know. It may have got detached from the envelope.

Soon sorted Nicky, Frank and Charlotte popped by to see Heidi who was on form, parping and hiccoughing, plus a little burp. They are off on holiday in the next day or two and did not want to miss the early days of Heidi. Nicky wanted to smell the baby as it sends her wibbly I hear.

As I type there is some pasta on the boil, plus some garlic bread I have made, which hopefully will be to Mrs W's liking.

Heidi is asleep in her moses basket in the window, with her mobile (not a 'phone) hanging over her head. Rachels mum June knitted it and it is nice and bright. Not sure how good her eyesight is but its nice to have in the front room.