But the other one is much more shiny, Sir

Last week we regististered the birth of the Youngling, something which must be done within six weeks of the birth. There were a whole load of questions, <3 signed the register, and we were given the birth certificate. We were then told that this was a short certificate and that if we wanted a full certificate (which would be required by the Passport Office and for some other purposes for which the short certificate would just not do) it would cost us £3.50.

Does this strike anyone else as bonkers? The two certificates both consist of a single sheet of A4 paper, printed out from a computer record, with a manual signature by the registrar. They take exactly the same amount of effort to produce and, though the full certificate is on (possibly) slightly better paper, basically the same demand on consumables. Why, in the name of all that's fluffy, can't they just give us a proper certificate right away and not have this knobbing about with some certificates being more valid than others? If they really have to charge us for something, how about a nice commemorative thingy that looks nice but is useless?

We paid the money — it's not much, after all — but I'm still wondering what planet some people live on and why things are done in the way that they are.

Resolute

Last year I made two new year resolutions: to eat some tripe and to smoke my own food. I achieved neither of these, so I guess they continue to be high on my list of Stuff To Do (TM). However, I did learn to play a musical instrument (badly so far, but you have to start somewhere), something which I have been wanting to do since forever (and, thanks to a great Xmas prezzie I am learning a bit of ukulele too!), and we got ourselves a lovely baby daughter (which had been on the shopping list for a while), so I can hardly count last year as a failure. It was a good year, all things considered.

So what about 2007? Well, no real resolutions but top of the list of stuff to do is learn how to be a father; I suspect this will take most of my time and energy. This will also, hopefully, be my last year with the OU before I get my degree (assuming I didn't mess up last year's project too badly — the results aren't in yet); the OU being as addictive as it is, I am already considering studying music later! On the subject of music, I want to keep practicing with the harmonica, learning tunes and going to sessions; if I can get some competence on the uke too that would be great.

I suppose I should probably give something up, but right now I'm not worried about that. With the demands of parenthood, anything that can help keep me sane has to be a bonus.

A Late Arrival

Well, happy (belated) new year!

After a long wait and a Christmas more full of waiting than anything else, baby B., a beautiful little girl, was born on new year's eve, weighing close to the average for a 2-week-late baby. Mother and baby are, as is traditional to say, both doing well, though this is very tiring for all involved.

So, what have we learnt? Well, some of the points...

• The delivery suite team at the John Radcliffe are superb people, though occasionally run ragged with stuff to do. They looked after us well and helped <3 through a difficult labour to produce a perfect baby.
• Similarly the maternity team at Wantage Community Hospital are fantastic. We didn't get to see how they handle a delivery, but the postnatal care was great and the environment was so much more relaxed and comfortable than the JR.
• <3 is my new number 1 hero after seeing the feat of strength and endurance required to deliver a baby. She was magnificent.
• When it came to cutting the cord, I was handed what seemed like a pair of round-ended kiddie scissors (I guess they don't trust new fathers with sharp objects) which required me to hack a few times before getting through (an umbilical cord is thicker than I imagined though on reflection, given it's function, this is not surprising).
• Sometimes the father's mind goes blank when shown the baby's "bits" and is expected to tell the mother that she has a baby girl. "A boy without a winkie... Wait, I know this one..."
• After recuperation they let you out of the hospital with your baby without having to prove that you will be a fit parent. We felt that it would only be a moment before someone stopped us and demanded to see authorisation.
• Babies take a lot of love and attention. They have simple needs, but do not have the gift of patience.
• Nappies are not that bad really (so far — we are bracing ourselves for that doozy that involves the contents escaping and finding its way to all corners of the babygrow).
• Sleep is something that can only be got in small snatches, particularly for <3, who so far has all the feeding duties.
• You don't need to be quiet when the baby is asleep — in fact, quite the opposite seems to be true.
• After feeding, a young baby has a really goofy, almost drunk expression on her face.
• It can be an amazingly complex exercise in logistics to even leave the house with a baby — can't wait until we don't expect her to sleep through the entire trip (which she did this time).
• Babies are cute, but there is nothing cuter than our own baby when she smiles. (OK, I know that technically it isn't really a smile, but I don't care.)

I could go on. Maybe I'll add more later. What am I talking about, maybe? Of course I will — the youngling is likely to be my number one obsession for some time to come.

So 2006 ended on a massive high note. 2007 is set to be great — though tiring — as we learn how to live as a proper family.