01 October 2012

little water dragon

It only comes around once every sixty years, the year of the water dragon. All my Chinese Singaporean friends keep emphasising the importance of this, especially now that we have a son. His start in life simply could not be more promising, if you pay heed to that sort of thing. I'm not prone to dabble in astrology, but after two years in Singapore, the mysticism does start to infiltrate the old nerve endings. And what can I say, I'll cite it when it suits me.

Scotland is a funny old place in the year of the water dragon. We have a homegrown champion tennis player and the best Disney princess in yonks. The word "bake" has morphed into a widely-accepted noun (thanks - I think - to a hilariously eccentric tv show) and K-pop is at the top of the charts and set to become mainstream. (Who saw THAT coming? I think it's fabulous, we've been missing out on the joys of J-pop for decades.)

But childbirth is famously the great leveller, and some things about it remain resolute nearly six years after I last experienced it. The toe-curling agony that is the commencement of breastfeeding, the miraculous pain-relieving properties of infacol, the irrational disappointment that one still looks six months pregnant, the peachy-soft skin and the tiny toes... 

And so I introduce you to the little dragon. Thanks for all the lovely comments as I went stir crazy out of my mind while my due date came and went! Eventually he put in a very speedy appearance eight days after his due date. And I mean SPEEDY. I timed my first proper contraction at home at 2.17am on 27th September, and he was in my arms at the midwife unit of the local hospital by 3.50am. Phew, that was one roller-coaster of a car journey, let me tell you.

We managed to escape the post-natal ward and get home the very same day, and have been languishing in the newborn rosy haze of round-the-clock snoozing and feeding ever since.

he came, he saw, he conked out

He looks ever so handsome in all his tie-dyes and handknits, and I hope to have something new and very cute to show you Yarn Alongers on Wednesday - providing I get a few moments with my hands free before then. Ta ta for now.

inundated with beautiful flowers

26 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!

    You are in for a fun ride - boys are SO different from girls! Love them both, though.

    enjoy your babymoon

    blessings for the family
    Karen

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  2. awe! so sweet in his tiny tie-dye! congratulations! i hope you're all settling in with lots of loving warmth.

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  3. p.s. i'm a dragon baby myself and was quite excited to have a dragon baby of my own!

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  4. Congratulations!!! Good luck with some hands free knitting moments!

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  5. Oh, at last. Congratulations. He's quite the enigmatic one.
    Welcome, little dragon!
    (PS I'm off to Singapore in a few weeks. Any tips?)

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  6. Congratulations my dear! Enjoy all the baby love.
    Much love.

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  7. Welcome little dragon baby!

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  8. Many Congratulations to you! Glad it was a quick (super quick!) delivery!!!! Love the tie-dye! Hope you're getting some rest.... XOXO

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  9. oh congratulations my darling... what a wonderful gift!... such a sweetie... thank god he came!

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  10. Congratulations!! And welcome to the little dragon boy! Loving his little tie-die baby-grow and the little rabbit toy (no idea what the character is called in English – in Dutch it's Nijntje, but I'm guessing they probably didn't go with that in English). I'm so glad to hear that everything went well :) Hope you're managing to get some rest xx

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  11. He's the sweetest wee dragon I ever did see. :)
    And wow on getting blogging so quickly! Superwoman.

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  12. Congratulations on your wee boy. Enjoy your babymoon. You only get one per baby!

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  13. Yay, he's here, congratulations! Welcome, little dragon boy, we've all been waiting!
    He looks very comfy in his sweet babygro. Enjoy getting to know each other!
    xxx

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  14. Welcome wee boy - congratulations to you all - what great news. xx

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  15. Yay!!!! he is here and you are a mom once again :) Congratulations on your new addition!

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  16. Wow! And I thought my birth was fast. That's some precipitous labor! Big congratulations to you and your family. This post captures those first days of motherhood so perfectly.

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  17. my mum and dad really believe in that sort of thing. my sister was a dragon baby too (:

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  18. Congrats!!! Hope everything is going well for you both!

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  19. Honestly, I look away for a moment and then you pop him out. What a poppet! And unless I've got it wrong a water dragon baby brings blessings to a house in addition to their own arrival. Happy days :D

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  20. Hiya! I popped over from your comment on Small Things. Have you heard of Dunstan Baby Language (do a search on YouTube - lots there, but they also sell DVDs)? There are 5 sounds that all babies make aged newborn to around 3 months or so. It was absolutely invaluable to us. Our now-6mo only consistently made 2 of the sounds, the one for "I'm hungry" and the one that let us know he needed to burp, but in my opinion those are the two most important. I wish we'd had this info when our elder child was born.

    I don't mean to sound all sales-y. I'm not affiliated with DBL in any way. Just 100% my experience. ;)

    I hope that helps!

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  21. Fab news! Clever you....boys are brilliant and I know he'll be an absolute blessing to your family. I love to hear others birth stories, sounds like it was a quick story, second babies often are I think....apart from mine who ended up breech and soon became a sunroof job....unfortunately no.3 didn't realise he was supposed to be quick.

    I expect you've bought the single so he can play it when he's a big lad and think what ridiculous music there was when he was born.

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  22. What a sweet little one! And an exciting birth story!! My little ones - two so far - seem to languish in those final uterine moments even as my body is trying to get them out. 22 hours and 32 hours - oy.

    Enjoy your new little one and all the joy that that new-borniness brings. Snuggles and yawns and cuddles and feedings and that beautiful baby smell. I miss that smell!

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  23. Thank you for your comments on my recent post! And congratulations on your gorgeous new baby boy! He is the best dressed baby I have ever seen! (I do love me some tie-dye). Hmmm, I'm more than a little jealous of your efficient labour time! xx

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  24. Congratulations to you too! I think our boys are just over a week apart (Canadian Thanksgiving). Your little one is absolutely beautiful and I love the hand knits you have made for him!

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