little brother Ben

There's an obvious power struggle between the midwives and the nursing staff at St. Joe's, not sure if it's true of other hospitals - and Anna got caught in the middle, yesterday and today. Yesterday, after hours of labour with little result, she asked to be transferred from the midwives to the doctors so she could have an epidural and be induced; she had to wait more than five hours for a nurse to become available. And today, she had to wait again as messages and paths crossed. Anyway, it all came out all right in the end, as the saying goes.

Mmm - mitten.

I'm so happy, she said, to have my body back. 

Ready to go home. The pouring rain stopped just in time.

When Eli met his brother, he asked how the baby got out of his mummy's tummy. "He came out through my 'gina," she said. "You mean you sort of poo'ed him out?" he said. Well - pretty close.

First glimpse.

Opening the fantastic remote control monster truck that was a present from his little brother! How could his brother know so well what Eli would really really love? He played smash crash for hours.

 "That's Mr. Big Brother to you."

Friends, my daughter's journey will be complicated and difficult. But she will triumph. Because that's who she is and that's what she does. But it won't be easy, and Glamma may worry. Occasionally. Because ... ditto.