The Beginning...

Well Nicky G is more than half way through the first year of his life, having been born on 4th February 2006. This blog really should have been started when he was first born, but his mother (that's me), was a bit slow off the mark, as she's not exactly hip and happening and into new-fangled things like blogs (well I know that they've been around for a while, but I've been a bit slow to "get with the program", as my dear husband Kristian would say).

So, where to begin, where to begin.....well I suppose it's only natural to begin with the way Nicky entered into this world. It was in fact in a very "au naturalle" way. Not really by design. I wasn't one of these obsessed "I must have a natural birth at any cost, even 24 hours of earth shattering pain" types. Like a lot of expectant mothers I thought that I would adopt the "wait and see what happens" approach - i.e I was not adverse to being doped up to the eyeballs if the pain was excruitatingly awful, but equally speaking I was not going to arrive at hospital and demand an epidural straight away, if at that stage I thought that the pain was bearable. As it turned out, the labour was mercifully quick, provoking a friend of my mum's who had been through a frightful labour to (in a fond and affectionate way ;-) refer to me as a b!@(). All I can put it down to is that I am a bit of a genetic freak, having defied the law of averages and escaped the clutches of the standard 12 hour first time labour. There wasn't enough time to take any drugs as Nicky couldn't wait to get out and say hello to everyone. In fact, it was so quick that when I gave birth I was, shall we say, rather bereft of clothing, having, not long before Nicky was born, emerged from the bath which I had (unsuccessfully) been using for pain relief.

Ooooppps, I almost forgot, this blog is meant to be about Nicky G, my adorable son (not that I am biased), and not me! Nicky G, for those of you who don't know, is short for Nicholas George Robinson. Well actually come to think of it, it can be a blog on Nicky and his adventures in life, and also my musings (or ravings, depending on your point of view) on motherhood. Although I'm sure that this blog will develop a life of its own, and who knows what issues may be canvassed on it.... Robbie Williams' latest album, Peranakan culture in Singapore, the best place in Singapore to eat xiao long bao, the use of the future continuous tense in English (Nicky has very broad-ranging and eclectic interests as you can see).

Well, back to Nicky, the star of the show. In usual baby fashion he came out all pink and gooey. My first comment was (well, to the best of my recollection - I was of course kinda euphoric coz I was seeing my son for the first time, not to mention the fact that the pain of labour was over, which shall we say, didn't exactly tickle) "Gee, he's really cute". At this most pivotal, life-defining, life-altering, seminal blah blah blah moment, I am most pleased that my underlying highly superficial nature shone through :-) On a more serious note, it was a truly amazing and wonderous moment, to see my son for the first time. To think, the first time I saw him, on the ultrasound screen he was only about 2.5cm long. And there he was, all 49 cm and 3.18kg of him. A living, breathing, warm and wonderous human being. It's a cliche, but it is a moment which I will never forget and treasure always.

I can't exactly remember the chain of events after that. I remember cuddling Nicky with Kristian for quite a while, and then Nicky was taken and cleaned up so he could look like a respectable baby :-). We called Mum and Dad who had no idea that I had gone into labour and put Nicky on the phone. They had a lovely chat with him - he is after all quite the conversationalist. Then Kristian, Nicky and I went to our room. Kristian and I were ravenous and supped on Thompson Medical Clinic's finest chicken sandwiches. We got to change Nicky's first nappy, which was great fun.....not! That meconium stuff is rather icky. Then we tried to get some shut eye. I don't think I slept a wink that night. I was on such a high. Nicky slept very soundly. The poor little fella had just gone through the momentous experience of being born and was rather beat!

Well that's all for the first installment of The Adventures of Nicky G. Stay tuned for another update soon....only 6 months and 17 days (and counting) until this blog is up to date!