My family In order of appearance... 1. Thomas Stephen (Tom) Born in the UK wt 3.8
Now in the Army (Townsville - so if any of his mates are reading this and recognise him...say hello to him at work!) and the eldest of the brood, was my major 'learning curve'His brothers and sister know he his still 'mum's baby' well he is so cute...and he does love his mum's roast potatoes!Managed to cover himself in gloss paint from head to toe and be wheeled into emergency at the age of 8 months (didn't know he could just crawl into the room with the 4L paint can) with the nurse laughing so muchat the sticky white baby with only his blue eyes shining through ... and many more antics followed.
2. James Alexander Born in Zimbabwe Mbuya Nehanda! wt 3.7
The second eldest boy, conceived in Sydney and arrived in a very basic ( tin trolley delivery bed !) African hospital. had been booked in a swish Sydney hospital... but that was another story! Dramas on the way to hospital - 'forgot' this time that I was living in a rural Africa on a remote farm and not in the Uk ! So when the waters broke thought I had plenty of time to get there... oops Mr Mugabe had closed the main road to the hospital making us go all the way round town to get there... only just made it. He was soon nicknamed ' car alarm' by big brother Tom because of his screechingly loud wailing cries for food (mum not a good milker)
Called 'Piccanin Nguruwe' or 'little bush pig' by the farm women because of the snuffly noises he made. His mates say he still makes little piggy noises! The ame farm women called me the 'Penga Madam' because I carried him on my back (to keep him quiet!) a job that the 'white madam's' apparently did not do. But I loved it because it settles baby so well - and this technique can be taught to you. James is credited with coming up with the Babycoach name, impatient as always at mums 'hopeless' ideas for names. And he says he is still waiting for his royalties.
3. Warwick John (woz) Born Zimbabwe wt 3.6
Easy baby, loved to chuckle in his cot, still is an angel for his mum. The third in line... no need for pregnancy tests in Zim...was butchering a cow on the kitchen table one evening ( ZIm TV is really bad! ) and felt quite sick. he was lucky not to have two heads from all the chemicals sprayed around the rose farm where we lived when he was conceived... then he survived mum's food poisoning whilst travelling over a 'million miles' of unsealed boulders from Karoi to the hospital in Harare - what fun! As was the search for the obstetrician when we got to the hospital. No phones, no one knew what to do...so whilst mum is in the birth room dad drove round the nearby streets looking for the obs. Found her at a local pie shop and pie still in hand whisked her back to the hospital just in time as woz was on his way out. Warwick would rather fish than go to school and even has more excuses than his mum ever did for school absences ... which is truly amazing.
4. Laura Louise Born in Brisbane wt 4.3
Lucky Last!
Laura's name had been 'in waiting' for quite a while, she said she was glad I had her last, as I had plenty of practice with the boys so she would get the best mum. Laura is of course an angel as all girls are! Although she tried to delay her arrival by playing around with her cord, winding it around her neck and causing a few panics! Many thanks to the best midwife ever Virgina M. ( Logan Hospital, Qld.) who turned her from blue to pink ... thanks also to the paed sitting outside my room who rushed in to help... no thanks however to the obstetrician who put me down as 'high risk' of having a very small baby and worried me all through the pregnancy. I think he must have just scanned her head...(39cm) and thought that was the baby!
