Coming Home

It’s been a long time since I posted to this blog. It’s not that I have been lazy but things have been difficult. I’ve had two girls in my life for the last few years, and my better half often jokes that I love the bonnie more. Yes I have a love for the bonnie but occasionally in life something happens that forces you to take a real perspective, put the jokes to one side and concentrate on what is important.

For seven months it had been a breeze - our social lifestyle changing, perhaps slowing down a little. With the bikes tucked away for the Winter there was only one thing on our minds. It had crept up on us late in life, later than either of us expected but suddenly there was a realization that life was going to change massively. My wife was pregnant and a nervous happiness pushed us through the Winter and into Spring as we planned for our new arrival. And then I got the phone call, 60 miles away and unexpected – “your wife is going into labour and it’s seven weeks early”. Nervous happiness quickly turned to nervous concern.

I’ll spare you the details but things got complicated, more complicated than we ever imagined from attending our ante natal classes. It wasn’t meant to happen like this - a slow drawn out week of a labour culminating in 48 hour birth that neither of us will forget. The baby taken from us almost immediately as it arrived – transferred into an incubator on the Special Care Baby Unit. A confusing array of clinicians, numerous tests and various drugs followed. Poor “little Libby Pearl” had them all. The prognosis was good though – she was strong and breathing unaided. We kept the vigil by her incubator for five days, helping where we could, until the doctors decided she was strong enough to leave the special care unit and be placed on a maternity ward. Still in an incubator but at least with mum. A further five days on the maternity ward under the lights of phototherapy followed before I got a different phone call at work – it was my better half – “c’mon, get yourself over here we are being sent home”. I allowed myself a smile although the feeling of relief was mixed in with the happiness.

So I’ve spent the last few weeks learning how to be a dad. There have been many ‘ups’ and the odd down but I’m thoroughly enjoying getting to know Libby Pearl. Knackered though – you really do lose a lot of sleep!!

You’ll understand therefore that Little Suzy Q has had to be pushed into the background for a while. Indeed life kinda stopped for three weeks when things got difficult and all my efforts were focused on my wife and Libby. Eventually though LittleSuzyQ and I rekindled our relationship – I took her for a brief spin and an MOT. It felt good, clearing the cobwebs and easing back into her laid back riding style. A comforting familiarity. I’m started to get excited now as I write, for tomorrow will be our day. I’ve put aside some time for us to spend together and I’m really looking forward to it. Just a couple of hours to ourselves but enough to enjoy each others company. Nowhere in particular to go – we’ll see where the roads take us. I won’t be ”pushing it”, although I’m not sure you really want to on a bonnie. It will be a lazy, relaxing and careful run out. The emphasis being on the careful, afterall I have even more to return home to now. There were two girls in my life, now there are three.

Note - A song to come home to.......incidently my brother's favourite rockabilly track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elyvIMUd0H0