Heidi woke this morning, with a full wispy head of hair that really needed a brush. It is great to see here yawn, and do “adult” movements when only one year old. Smacks her lips, rubs her eyes, and scratches and wonders what to do next. That was earlier than normal.

Today is her first birthday. A year ago, Rachel and I trooped in with the bag and awaited the caesarean that was booked for the AM slot. Almost ready for theatre, we were bumped off by an emergency caesarean coming in, and were warned Rachel might have to pack and go home again. That’s was all a bit stress really, as we were ready to roll. The midwife was really good and went off to see what was happening. We were advised that Rachel would be first of the PM list as a tonsillectomy had been cancelled, and that whilst she was till “nil by mouth” I should bolster my strength for the long afternoon ahead by getting some lunch in at the restaurant. I read the Herald and sauntered back to Rachel’s room, where she was craving something to eat. Or at least drink. They eventually allowed her a little cup of water to keep her happy.

Just about 1330h the call was that we were en route to theatre and off we headed. Rachel decided to walk and we trundled off quite happily but rather nervously. Once in theatre the anaesthetist had a quiet chat and said all of the staff were aware of Fred, and that everything would be OK.

At 1436h Heidi arrived grumpily into the world with black piercing eyes and a mad grimace.

One year on, Heidi visited Paignton Zoo. The zoo is only a few yards from our house, and hopefully enjoyed a relaxing morning with mum, dad and god mother, Emily. We had some lunch there too and visited Fred’s bench along the way. In the Gibbon Restaurant we bumped into a lady who was in the next bed to Rachel when Heidi was born. She was the emergency c-section that delayed Rachel. They were in there too celebrating Sebastian’s first birthday as well, so that was a nice bonus.

Once back to the house, it was rest time for her and to open some of the remainder of her presents. We had some friends visit during the afternoon and a few more presents and cards appeared. Heidi seemed to be taking it all in, sensing something good was happening.

We eventually popped over to my mum and dads to say “hello” and see my dad who had just come out of hospital. He was pleased to see the sleeping Heidi, and so we came back and by 1930h she was safely back in her warm cot, with a few new toys to play with when she wakes up.

We treated ourselves to a KFC Bargain Bucket which was immense.

Happy Birthday Heidi, xx

In a few days time, Heidi will be one year old. Today Rachel and the gang (comprising Emily, Emma, Frankie, Helen, Dawn and plus 1800 others) did the Cancer Research Race for Life in Paignton.

We have been there for several years, just watching, but this year Rachel decided to walk the walk, or run the run rather, and entered. The weather was overcast and cool at first and soon became ideal running conditions. Off they set and returned a while after just as the sun came out and the wind dropped.

No apparent casualties and lots of aches made the day rather enjoyable. Rachel’s mum, and my mum and dad, were there to watch the spectacle as Heidi was too.

Afterwards we went to the pub on the seafront and had some great lunch. Heidi experienced her first chip today and did not seem that impressed though.

Once back Rachel had a hard earned shower whilst Heidi played in the garden with Emily and June. In the last few days she is standing on her own now, for as long as she can muster, before she raises her hands above her head and then sinks to the ground.

With the warmer weather coming, Heidi is enjoying the outdoor life a bit more now. Out in the garden, she can roll happily on her mat, yet does not want to leave the confines of the mat for some reason. She will feel for the grass, but not crawl on it yet. Daisies and clover all get popped in to her mouth though, plus the occasional twig. She also seems to hate wearing hats, so it is difficult to keep her noddle covered in bright sunshine.

Last weekend saw us head to North Devon for a few days in a caravan. Woolacombe is a place I used to spend a lot of time at, as friends used to go surfing there most weekends in the mid 1980’s. Our home for the three days was a caravan at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Park, not far from where we used to camp all those years ago. A trip to the Clubhouse brought back bad memories of working at a holiday camp whilst as student – the people inhabiting these places all look the same, and we have now joined them. A quick pint was all we could endure before left the Big Match on the Big Screen….

The accommodation was uncluttered and allowed Heidi to be able to crawl at speed without any ornaments or valuables coming to her attention. In fact, she could move at such a speed it was difficult to catch up with her in the narrow corridors of the caravan. She thought it was great although she got a bit cold during one of the nights, as it was blowing a gale outside and her room was a bit chilly. That was soon solved as she slept with us that night; all three snoring.

She has started to eat more and more of our food now so munched on some more interesting things. We tend to cook and freeze her food at home, but it was not practical without a freezer here, so we bought her some jars of feed as well. Some were OK, just a tasteless mush really, but some were better and more lumpy with a nice taste. Toast is a big thing for at the moment. One home she seemed to prefer ours which is good.

She visited the beach with her kite (from the last holiday) whilst in North Devon but it just started to rain when we got there, so could not play on the sand for more than a few minutes. She liked the bracing wind though, near the surf. Still no hat for her though.

On the 2nd May was Fred’s anniversary, so we took some flowers up to Chagford and then headed to Tavistock for some shopping. On from there we went to Delamore House where there is an annual art exhibition set within the grounds. It is mainly sculptures, and we have been a few times before. Heidi visited last year when she was about two weeks old. She did wear a sun hat for 20 minutes or so, but that soon became a pain for her.

On the 3rd she stood up for the first time for a prolonged period of time which was nice. She was on the trampoline around at Claire’s at the time, and I was lying on it, in the warmth of the sun. She liked the idea so much she waved both arms madly before sinking back to her knees. She has done it a few times since.

Today she was a bit unwell for some reason, being sick three times. She seems OK, but then we had an appointment at the doctors for her HIB and Meningitis C combined inoculation. This time she thought something odd was happening as, she began to cry as her thigh was exposed to the practice nurse….

The being unwell may have something to do with starting on cow’s milk now. She has glugged a lot recently, but took an easy day, just to make she was not brewing anything nasty.