5 posts tagged “baby”
Wow, two separate people just paid me for work, I'm in the money this week! *scans Wii game release list*
Actually, I dusted off my PS2 today, after getting sent a promo copy of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (I wrote a profile of a company that sells the in-game advertising, and they sent a copy so I could see how it worked. I class this is legitimate research, not bribery...) I used to play Pro Evo loads, when I was at a job where we had a PlayStation for lunchtime sessions. It took me right back.
Alice was up at her mum's this weekend, giving me a couple of free days to get my shit in order (i.e. sort and put away all the random stuff that's accumulated in plastic bags in the spare room) and also to sort out the last bits of the nursery, like moving the wardrobe in there, and trying to get rid of the spiky carpet-holding things without stabbing myself in the fingers.
It's her last four days at work this week, so we're both wondering what it'll be like when she's home full-time. Will we drive each other mad? Hopefully not, I think I'll find it harder to stay in my workroom all day though, and even more so when the baby arrives (then again, I might just regress into my cave if it's screamy ;o)
It's started then. The endless flow of money going out of our bank account and into the coffers of people who make Stuff For Babies. The cot arrived at the weekend from Mothercare. It's very cool (left), as the side comes down so you can have it next to the bed, so it's like the baby being in bed with you, except with less chance you'll roll over while drunk tired and squash it. Don't call the NSPCC though - we ARE going to buy a mattress for it.
Then, Saturday was the pushchair day. We schlepped down to Cheshunt (and man, that's a sorry excuse for a high street if ever I saw one) to go to the Mamas & Papas shop there. I believe this makes Alice a wannabe Yummy Mummy, as it's quite posh. I'm not sure what the equivalent is for fathers who buy expensive stuff to look cool. Faddy Daddy?
Anyway, we didn't have a clue about prams, other than we wanted something that felt solid, had four wheels not three, and wouldn't make us embarrassed to be seen walking down the street with. I was quite keen on having some gadgets in there too - MP3 player in the hood maybe, or a kettle. But no such luck. Instead we got a Plika (I think) pushchair that turns into a pram, and I daresay into a robot if you pull the right levers. It's quite complicated, but it turns like a taxi (i.e. very fast), so should be good for hairpin skids in the supermarket.
The upshot: we've spent hundreds of pounds, and we now have Proper Baby Stuff in the house. Apparently some people think it's bad luck to do this before the birth, but to hell with it. I'd rather have it all set up early, not least because it'll take us the next 12 weeks to figure out how to pull the pushchair cord so it neatly folds into a standing position. It looked so easy in the shop...
Last bit of baby stuff (for this post anyway): we went to the hospital tour on Sunday, when parents-to-be get a guided look at the ante-natal, labour and post-natal wards, and ask all the important questions (do they encourage active birthing, are the birth pools likely to be free, should the father bring his own PlayStation 2 or is one provided etc). It all seems great, anyway - very relaxed regime, mother free to give birth however she wants, and only a slight risk that if they're full up when you arrive, you'll get packed off down the motorway to Enfield. I MAY have felt a bit faint during the talk about epidurals, but I maintain it was the heat. Those stuffy rooms, etc. Really.
I just got this by mail order. It's the best thing ever.
Okay, we finally cracked. Alice and I have spent months deliberately NOT buying any baby clothes, for several reasons. One: we didn't want to jinx things by getting over-excited too soon, especially before the all-important 20-week scan. Two: we weren't entirely sure what we'd need. Three: every female we know is currently knitting something for the baby. And four: have you SEEN the scrum in Baby Next most weekends? Christ.
Anyway, today we forgot all of that, and bought a bunch of clothes. Some t-shirts, trousers, a couple of all-in-one sets. That kind of stuff. And y'know what? I think I might have the taste for it. Which means the next few weeks, my PayPal account may take a battering. eBay will provide, I'm sure. And if I can't find an ultra-tacky Baby Elvis romper suit while in Vegas for CES, I'll be sorely disappointed.
Christmas was grand, lots of food, drink and family fun. We went up to Al's mum along with her sister and partner, and I took the Wii along to test this theory of non-gamers falling for its hand-wavey charms. And they did! Admittedly, the only thing I forgot to pack was, er, Any Games At All, but luckily Rayman Raving Rabbids was still in the drive, so much mini-game fun was had. If you own a Wii and haven't bought RRR yet, it's highly recommended as a party game. Way better than Wii Play, anyhow, albeit without the free controller.
Thankfully, having worked my arse off last week writing, I have no freelance to do this week, so time for going to the dump (the municipal tip, I mean, not the other kind), buying stuff, spending vouchers and starting to clear out my old office room, which is now going to be a nursery. A nursery with a Wi-Fi router in the corner, admittedly. I'm starting to think about high-tech webcam monitor malarkey, although I think Alice may have something to say about that...
I let this slip again, but I did go on holiday for a week, and then was snowed under when I got back. I've currently got the galloping lurgy, so lurking at home feeling sorry for myself. And worse still, since I work from home, I can't even get out of doing proper work. Except by posting on here, obviously.
Holiday was marvellous: five days in an old building in Swarkestone, near Derby. It's called the Swarkestone Pavilion, and nobody is quite sure what it was built for, other than it was part of a toff's estate. It looks amazing (left) - only room for two people, so it's what you'd call a 'romantic getaway' I guess. Rammed full of big spiders, mind, and a ghost called 'the White Lady' who turned out to be the clanky old water-heating system. At least, that's what I'm telling myself... We rented it through something called The Landmark Trust, which buys interesting old buildings and does them up - their brochure costs £12, but it's amazing to look through in its own right.
Lots of planning anyway, for April next year when t'baby arrives *crosses fingers*. We've suddenly realised how much we need to do to our house before then, like sort out the bathroom, get someone to fix the dodgy electrics etc. Alice is starting to have a proper bump though, which is all very exciting. I'm scaring myself silly every night reading the Miriam Stoppard books about pregnancy, childbirth and baby-raising. All good fun.
Anyway, work's mad busy too - now blogging across Bayraider, Tech Digest, Star Trip and Brandish for Shiny Media, plus one secret new blog which I probably can't mention yet. And editing the mobile games section of Pocket Gamer is busying up too: this week I'm playing Sim City on my phone for a review, as well as a crazy Japanese gangster romp called Mafia Wars Yakuza. Plus working away on a group test for T3 and a mobile industry feature for New Media Age. So quite varied. I wish I didn't feel quite so ill though, it doesn't help...
