nicholas or nic NEVER nicky!!!

Nicholas James Rosslee entered this world at a whopping 5.1 kg's this day 27 years ago (that is 11lbs 2oz for those still on the Imperial system).  I needed an emergency caesarean (not surprising) and I was pretty much out of it for most of the day.  When I awoke I was in a semi-private ward with a woman who had delivered twin girls the day before.  They were not with her as they only weighed just over 1 kg each and were in high care.  I thought it a bit cruel on the part of  the nursing home, especially as the birth of this mammoth baby caused waves throughout the hospital.  Nurses were popping in during their tea breaks from different floors to take a peep of this huge and totally chilled bald baby boy.  The one nurse even brought her Kodak Instamatic camera the next day and I had to take a picture of her with my baby.  

He did not have a name either.  I always knew he was going to be a boy and I loved the name Nicholas.  John wanted to call him James as Nicholas would "always become Nicky".  I got my way after about 10 days (yeah) on condition that "no one was ever allowed to call him Nicky".  Well I think he was only called Nicky once and that aunt got such a roasting that it never happened again.

Nicholas James - 8 October 1989 - 4 years old 

1.  Breathing in deeply and blowing out the candles before they could be lit.

2.  Holding the knife, insisting on cutting the cake and asking "Aww please Mom, I really need two"

3.  Holding his two pieces, weighing them carefully and thinking "Do I really want them both?"  

Early signs of weighing the scales of justice

My time in the nursing home was a blur.  Coming home to a toddler, trying to get sleep (the baby slept, the toddler never did) and suddenly coping with 2 children was an even bigger blur.  When Gareth was born and I held him for the first time the bond was instant.  I would do anything to protect this child.  With Nic the love was there, he was an easy baby, he fed well and biggest bonus, he slept.  What wasn't there to love?

During this blurry time I have one very clear memory and that is fixed in my mind forever.  Nic was about 5 weeks old. Gareth went off to playschool with his Oupa and Nic woke for his mid-morning feed. The house was quiet and I went to sit in the lounge to feed him.  It was in the middle of the feed that he stopped abruptly and pulled his head away, he looked deeply (and seriously) into my eyes and then gave me his first really true smile.  It was a smile that lit up his bright blue eyes and his one sided dimple deepen.  I smiled back with tears filling my eyes and hugged him very tightly. At that very moment I knew that I had just fallen in love.

Happy Birthday Nicholas James.  You are so special to so many, especially me.

In case you don't know below is Nic today. I have spent the whole weekend searching for the baby picture of him sporting his first "gremlin face" to put next to this one, but I think he has stolen it from me!!

Lucky I did not get this as my first smile!!