And Bubby Makes Four... Introducing Elliott Daniel!

He's here... the teeny weeny, marshmallow-scented, satin-skinned, fluffy haired piece of perfection I never knew I desperately always wanted.

Until now.

Our son!

Eliott Daniel Cleary was born into the world at 1.02am on Monday, August 23. His weight was 7lb6 and his length was 50cm and he is so adorably little that I want to take a knife and fork and literally gobble him up!

The birth itself I'll share with you in a little more detail tomorrow if you are interested (I love hearing other people's birth stories!) but suffice to say it was full of intrigue... mystery... suspense... comedy... drama... thrill... and a little romance. Just like any good movie oooops I mean birth story!

A son! I'm not sure why I'm surprised - there was always a 50% chance of having one, but I come from breeding stock that tends to make girls. So when Elliott popped out, I had a slight moment of shock! Actually if I'm honest, the first day was sort of a hazy blur and I couldn't quite process my new baby at all. I stared at him through the side of his clear capsule with a kind of bewilderment. Who was this little creature with my name around his wrist? But then, somewhere in the dark hours of that first night - alone, just him and me in our hospital room... I fell in love.

It happened for no reason. Although he wasn't crying, I got the urge to lift Elliott out of his capsule and bury my nose into his soft dark hair. He hadn't had a bath yet; how could he smell so cookies-out-of-the-oven good? And my heart swelled beyond the infinite love I already held for my daughter and stretched into unknown realms. I realised I loved this person and would protect him until the day I died. And, that first night, a bond was tied between us, forever.

Here's our first 'family portrait' - snapped a few hours after Elliott's birth. Fern was fairly non-plussed, more fascinated with playing with my hospital tags and hiding in the curtains than adoring her little brother!

There were a few heart-melting moments though...

... and the 'gift' from her little brother worked a treat!

Wondering about our choice of name? Well, we deliberated for ages and came up with some pretty slim pickings on boys names. We liked 'Atticus' until some girls in my mothers group unknowingly bagged the name (not knowing it was my top contender!) and put me off it. Aside from that, Elliott really was the only name we both liked that seemed both fairly unique and 'normal' and sat well with 'Fern'. His middle name is my husband's name, it was important to Dan and I didn't mind - actually, Dan can't understand why i didn't want Fern's middle name to be Nicole! Hers is 'Lucinda', if you are interested.

Elliott likes:

- Being all warm and cocooned in blankets

- Mummy's milk

- Cuddles

Elliott dislikes:

- Having his nappy changed

- Being cold

- Being naked in general

- Baths (he wonders why he has to get naked for such an event?)

And mummy? Mummy loves everything about her little boy-o so far. And it all seems easier second time around. He sleeps and eats when he's supposed to and rarely cries in between. Even the night feeds seem marginally less evil than the first time, and although I'm a wee bit tired, I'm coping much better than I thought I would! Now, I just need to work out how to get dressed before 10am, how to get two bubs in and out of the car and leave the house generally and handle Elliott'd boy-bits with a touch more confidence and I'll nominate myself for mother of the year!

I've missed you all, can't wait to catch up on all your blogs... x