Around my house

Today has been a truly awesome day. Now I've got my mum nearby I have learnt that all I need to do is cry and I will be fed. Last night I did this every hour. This morning I was so tired. So,  I had my regular four hour break, and am now just starting to pick up the pace again. I've had a health visitor and a hospital-at-home nurse come to see me today, they weighed me and measured how my Oxygen levels are doing. I'm pleased to say that I've gained weight and my O2 levels were 100%.

The best of today was getting to know my house and the area where I live.

Here I am with Dad and some flowers. These flowers were planted just before I appeared in the world. Look at us bloom.

The very pretty lady on my right is my Mum. She appears in lots of photos because of that fact.

 

Here I am posing with my Dad. This is my garden. My garden!

OK, it's your garden too Dad. 

 Here is that beautiful mum of mine again. We are both in the kitchen. I've never smelt big people's food before and my mum cooked something called 'Masaman Curry', my Dad had to open the doors and windows as he thought I would choke on the chillies being fried.

This isn't my garden. It's the park right next to my house. My parents LOVE walking so they couldn't wait to put me into my new pram (thanks Grandparents and Great Grandparents)

Yes Dad, I'm still breathing.

 Did you not believe Dad?







Peekaboo!

After all that fresh air it was definitley time to take a well deserved nap.

 Night night x

Daddy's comments

Although Felix didn't mention this,  we think he's scared of the unfamiliar environment, especially at night. In the hospital there is always light in the rooms and low-level noise. In our bedroom it's pitch black and quiet. We noticed Felix was unsettled when we roomed in with him at the hospital because it is also dark in their family room. Last night he was awake every hour and would try to feed at any given opportunity. The same happened after lunch time, he'd wake, cry and start sucking his hand. When presented with a breast he'd fill himself up so much that he'd deposit some in his mouth or explode in his nappy before falling asleep. He eats as much as his mum and eats as fast as his dad. 

What a trooper.

Love being back at home,

Rob x

Triple chinned milk guzzling master.

Just a short update to let you know that I've put my foot down and I've upped my milk rations. I'm now drinking 61mls every four hours, plus as a deal sweetener, I'm also allowed to drink as much breast milk as I want. As a result of my actions I've started to put on a little weight. I now weigh a back breaking 2.45kg (5.6lbs)  I'm getting a triple chin and love handles, mum said that this is the first time I look like my Dad.Yarrr!

I also start to feel hungry for the first time now too, when it approaches the four hour mark I start to wake up. This pleases my Dad lots, he sees this as a perfect opportunity to pick me up and have man-to-man chats whilst my Mum is preparing herself for my feed. Mum often gets frustrated during these special conversations and snatches me away from Dad saying "Hurry up! He'll fall asleep!" or "Quick! He looks really hungry!" I agree, as soon Dad passes me to Mum he'll eat some chocolate or fall asleep.

After my approximate 10 minute feed, I am often sat up to 'burp'. In the six weeks I've been alive my parents have never managed to burp me. Once, by complete coincidence, I did release some air when my Dad sat me up quickly, but not and I repeat NOT as a result of this back smacking and rocking they persistently pursue. Sure I've heard other babies burp, but they'll do anything for a bit of light relief. These are the same babies that scream when they're hungry, wail when they are having blood taken or shriek at bathtime. Not me, I'll burp when I'm ready thankyouverymuch. If you give the big people what they want, they'll just expect more.

Resist my fellow friends.

 Resist.

Burping out of the way, it's either back on the breast for round two or over to Dad for some supreme cuddles. I've collected some of my favourite cuddle pictures which I thought I'd share with you.

Skin to Skin with Dad. 

 

Seconds out - preparing for round two. 

 "Don't go to work Daddy, Please?"

 

I won't let you go!

 

Daddy Sleeping He Is. 

Sleeping too I am.

Just to show you that I love mummy cuddles too.

 

You may have noticed that in some pictures from previous posts I am wearing 'mittens' on my hand. These were deliberately installed by you-know-who to disrupt the removal of facial tubing. Admittedly I do make myself bleed from grabbing and pinching my face so I can see that they do have some benefits. I haven't a clue why I grab my face, I just can't stop myself. Today for example, I put my hand in my mouth, grabbed, pinched and tried to pull my lip off my face. It hurt like mad and however much I wanted to stop doing this I just couldn't remember how to make my hand stop. Eventually, I did something I wasn't proud of. I cried "WAAAH!!....Dad rescued me and called me "stupid". Fair comment.

Anyhooooo. Back to mittens. Mittens are far too easy to remove, nearly as easy as feeding tubes. They are so small and just slip off with ease, they don't even hurt when they come off and I can be back in action within seconds. To counter this the nurses have been busy in their research department devising new methods of restraining babies. A few days ago I had something else put onto my hands, these were longer and for the life of me I can't find out how to remove them.

 

They aren't too uncomfortable, I just can't get them off me! Aaargh! Why?!!

But wait what are these? Ooooh Green things. I like Green things. Yes, these are lovely. I'll stop complaining, please don't take them away. Can I keep them? Pleeeease? They are beautiful. I'll just lie here and look at the them for a while.

That's enough blogging for today.

Bye bye

Felix xx

(Can you spot something else about this picture?)

A Riddle

Sometimes I don't have to do anything to get it and sometimes I have to work hard for it. More than often once I have it I don't see it again but other times it re-appears, sometimes faster than it disappeared. It is wet and white, warm and smooth and tastes sweet and creamy. Can you guess what it is yet?

I'm so excited about milk I could talk about it all day. Milk, milk, milk. Even my parents and doctors talk about milk all day. My mum? Well she can even magic the stuff out of her big pillows for me. Milky milky milk. Most times I get it through a feeding tube straight into my belly and because everybody loves milk that much big people give me loads of the stuff, does this happen to anyone else or am I just the luckiest baby in the world? MILK!

After my tummy has been filled I can feel a bit full. No surprise really, then all kinds of funny things happen in my body and before I know it I can see my lovely milk again! Magical milk. It really is amazing stuff. Now, the times I have to actually work at getting my milk are the times which are hardest to tell you about. I remember opening my mouth and I remember getting pushed onto something a bit like a dummy, I recall sucking really hard but then, my memory goes blank....the next thing I remember is waking up and feeling hungry so I repeat the previous steps. I haven't really got a clue how long this last for, but it is sure comfortable.



My Dad gets a bit jealous when all this is happening, because all he can do is watch - he likes holding me too, but I've noticed Mummy is holding me much more recently. Thinking about it Daddy hasn't got those big pillow things, well not as big as mummy's, perhaps that's why.

I wrote my first song the other day, it is to the tune of "Food Glorious Food" from the 1968 musical adaptation of Charles Dicken's classic novel Oliver Twist.


Milk Glorious Milk - by Felix Siam Hasler.

Milk glorious milk!
It comes from my mummy.
It's smooth just like white silk
and fills up my tummy.

Just wish I could keep it down
Before my next feeding.
But rumbles from deep underground
Sends my milk streaming!

bluuuurghhhhhhhhhh.

Hope you all have a glass of milk today .
Felix xx

Dad's comments - Felix is starting to breast feed but is finding keeping his full feeds down. He is meant to have 26ml every two hours but after a day of vomiting it all back up it has now been reduced to 13mls every one hour. This seems to please him much more and fingers crossed he'll keep it down. We now have lots of photos of Felix wearing different clothes as he is being changed very often! His breast feeding amazed everyone, although he is only sucking for a few seconds before getting tired he was only 33 weeks. Babies are meant to start around 34-35 weeks so it's pretty impressive. He's taking a break from this now until he can tolerate his 13ml feeds hourly. These hourly feeds have been expressed from Mummy. Who has now taken over 2/3 of the hosptials freezing storage.