What was I thinking?

What was I thinking? When did I think I'd have the time to sit down and write a new blog, with the demands of a day job, a toddler and a heavily pregnant wife!

Ok, so backtrack to last year, and we find out (to our delight) that we were expecting another bundle of joy. We always wanted more than one, as a playmate for Harry as much as anything else, and now it seemed like our wish would come true.

We went through the usual rounds of tests and scans (everything ok) and I have to be honest here - I was not amazed by it all as I was the first time round. Maybe that's a normal reaction, maybe I'm just so focussed on looking after Harry that I have this "take it as it comes" mind-set instead of jumping for joy at each little development.

Saying that, it was fantastic when I felt the baby kick. And whether (s)he has formed some empathic link with their brother, or whether they can just hear his high-pitched voice but, whenever Harry is laughing and giggling, the baby responds. Awww, cute!

Fast forward a bit and now Michele has a huge stomach again (and still doesn't like having that pointed out to her, not that I blame her) and Harry is growing and growing.

Ah yes - Harry. Remember him? (Time for a Harry interlude)

He's developed into a more rounded character, with his own set of nuances and idiosyncracies. He's cheeky, he's naughty, and he's very very loving.

Michele and I get a warm and fuzzy feeling when Harry runs up to one of us, arms outstretched, big smile plastered on his face, and goes "Cuddle!". We love the cuddles he gives us, and the way he his little hands hold our cheeks as he plants a wet kiss on our lips before running off chuckling.


He likes to help tidy things up, and help with the hoovering. Oh, and he loves Thomas the Tank Engine! We have some wooden track that we lay out for him and he's always good about putting it all away when finished.

He sounds like an angel, doesn't he? Rest assured, he has his moments. And he has had a few tantrums - not many, but a few, including several in public. Once was when we wanted him to go back into the buggy before going home but, having had a taste of walking (i.e. freedom), he was having none of it.

It was then that I was introduced to the "ironing board" tantrum. While trying to get him into into the buggy, he went as stiff as an ironing board, refusing to bend in the middle. In the end I managed to strong-arm him in - but it was a struggle. Even at two, he's got a strong little body, a surprising contrast to the frail little person he was a year or so ago.

Having seen a program called "Supernanny" on TV, I knew the concept of the 'naughty step', and have carried a sobbing Harry to the stairway when he was being a bit naughty. He always got the option to stop/start/whatever he was supposed to do, but when he persisted, out he went.

Our stairway is separated from our lounge by a door so I would stand at the door timing his penalty and making sure he didn't escape. When the time was up, I would go to him, squat down to his level and gently talk about why he was being punished. He would nod, say sorry. I would smile, say thankyou. We would hug then go off to play.

It's not the easiest thing to do, plonking your sobbing, pleading child onto the stairs and walking off but it has worked. It really has. Now, whenever he is being a bit naughty or refusing to do something I give him one last ultimatum - the naughty step - and it works, every single time. No need for any more tears and we're all happy. Of course, I'd be happier if he just did as he was told the first time but then he is only 2 and a half... :)

He goes to the hospital creche for 2.5 days a week - the hours that Michele works - and has done since Michele returned to work when he was about eight months old. I've already talked about the wrench that was leaving him with a stranger but, over the years, it has done him the world of good.

His social, play and interactive skills have all come along really well, and being in the company of other children his age - all learning and playing together - has been really beneficial. I'm also pleased that the staff there are big on teaching manners, something we drilled into Harry as well. It's nice to hear "Thankyou, Daddy" when I give him his milk.

And so, back to the new baby. We are a little nervous at how Harry's going to react to the new arrival, but all indications so far are good. From nearly day one, we told Harry that there was a new baby growing in Mummy's tummy, and he identified with it quite quickly. What's more, the loving caresses Michele gives her baby bump has helped endear Harry to it, and he's often come up and given "the baby" a cuddle and a kiss. Oh, and a raspberry.

Harry loves blowing raspberries on Michele's tum, and I'm sure the baby can feel the vibrations. At the moment, whenever there's movement within and we say that the baby is awake, Harry looks stern and corrects us - "No, no. Baby asleep".

I hope they'll be friends when the baby "wakes up"...

So, we're just about up to date now. Harry is a very cute little boy, loved by many (he has his own 'fan club' on the work bus we catch...) and we're all getting excited about the new baby. A friend of mine just had her second girl a month early, so Michele is going mad packing bags and writing lists.

I have to get out Harry's old pram, dust off the spiders and clean it down in time. The moses basket has had a wipe-over and all the old baby clothes/bedding that we stored has been washed, ironed and dried in preparation.

Of course, second time must surely be easier, right? We know roughly what to expect at the birth and first few weeks, so what's there to worry about?

Ooohh, maybe the fact that baby no.2 will be born in a different place than Harry?
Maybe the question of how the hell we're going to get to the hospital?
Maybe the question of who's going to look after Harry?
Maybe the question of what happens if Michele goes into labour at home in Burgess Hill while I'm at work in Brighton?

Oh yes - there are things to worry about and sort out.

Easier second time around? What was I thinking?