Kiran is potty

Progress has been made in the potty training stakes. Kiran sat himself on the potty today, after pulling his own pants down, and did a pee. For all of you without children you won't know what an achievement this is. For those of you with older children, remember what it was like when you didn't have to cart nappies around with you everywhere. Yippeeee, freedom from the crappy changing facilities at just about every public place in the known universe.

I am very happy, oh yes I am, and proud of my son...

Kiran gets tubby

On our hols at the mo, camping in the camargue. Conditions are cramped, as you can see!

Kiran at the beach

Kiran on YouTube

Kiran is walking (with some help). I captured this video this morning (Queen's Day) and now it's on YouTube. Hello world!

A child is born

Nice one, my son!

After nine months of tense waiting, we finally got to meet the inhabitant of Mrs. M’s tummy. Kiran made his appearance on 7th June at around a quarter to two in the afternoon. He weighed in at 3040g and was 45 cm long (about 6lbs 11oz weight and 18 inches long for those still on the imperial system).

We called him Kiran James. Kiran is derived from the Irish name Ciârn (pronounced Kieran) meaning dark or darkness. Since absolutely no-one in Holland would be able to make head-or-tails from the spelling, we decided upon a spelling of a similar Sanskrit name, Kiran, meaning sunbeam (ergo light). The combination of light and dark, yin and yang in the name really appealed to us and, if I'm honest, one of the reasons I was hoping for a boy. Mrs. M chose James because she thinks it is a very English name and she is, of course, in love with all things English including yours truly.

The majik inner world!

So, this is the scan at twelve weeks (almost two months ago now actually) and things are looking normal. It was such a relief to hear that the risk of Down's syndrome was very low. We are getting used to the fact that there is a baby on the way and there are definite changes to Mrs. M's tummy.

We went to the haptonomist last night for pregnancy classes and I have to say it was an intimate experience. Haptonomy is the art of healing by touch. The idea is that where the hands go, the attention goes there too and that way a lot of tensions in the body can be released. These tensions can be in the form of painful experiences and traumas from one's youth or from the present stressful way of life. In any case, the pregnancy class consisted of getting in touch (literally) with mother and, more specifically, baby. It was difficult to feel anything at first because the baby is still very small and I wasn't sure what I should feel, but after a few moments and with the guidance of the haptonomist, I was in contact with this new life inside.

We have another scan next week, and this time I'll post the pics a lot quicker.

Update on the baby situation

Ok, breathes a sigh of relief. Measurement of the neck folds have indicated a chance of Down's syndrome of less than 1 in 500. Considering that the 'normal' risk for woman of Mrs M's age is 1 in 52, that's a pretty big difference. It is actually the same 'normal' risk for a woman 10 years younger, so that is a pretty positive sign. All other growth signs are normal, the baby is floating about just fine and is starting to really look human, with a little face and hands and stuff. Funnily enough, I got a very strange premonition when I looked at the scan that it is a boy, but actually I don't mind either way.

It's a kind of Majik

NEWS FLASH:
There have certainly been a lot of changes in the Majik world recently. Firstly, Majik is going to be a dad. The picture on the left is the first photograph of the life growing inside Mrs. Majik as we speak. The picture is a little out of date (there has been one more scan since then), but this was the scan where the heartbeat was observed for the first time. I was, unfortunately not present during this scan, but I was present for the second one. It was quite the most amazing experience of my whole life so far, to see the heartbeat of this small being, strong and steady on the screen. S/he had tripled in length in two weeks' time and it was possible to make out definite features such as the split in the scalp, the brain, the cartilage for the nose and tiny protrusions for the arms and legs. Standing there in wonder, looking at our creation, I was amazed to see the baby actually move as if saying, 'hello dad'. It was indeed a 'moving' experience.

The next scan is on Friday and that is really a watershed. It may be necessary to perform an amniocentesis (removal of some of the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby in the womb) in order to check for Down's syndrome. First they will take measurements of the ratio of head to neck size and combine this with results from blood tests and other info to determine the risk of Down's. If this risk is above a certain level (more than 1 in 150, I believe) then we will most certainly be advised to do further definitive testing. I am not sure at the moment how I will react to this news. On the one hand, I am fairly sure that we will keep the child no matter what, but it will still be a big blow. I think it is not difficult to love a Down's child, but I have heard that the problems come later in life with aggressive and even violent behaviour, especially in puberty. Furthermore, such a child would need care for his/her whole life and that means that when we are no longer around, the care will pass to another, as yet unknowing, party.

I have also moved to Amsterdam for the time being and depending on the job situation, I may take up permanent residence in or around the Dutch capital city. I love Amsterdam and not for the reasons for which this city is most (in)famous. It is a truly vibrant city and walking along the grachten (canals) always gives me a feeling of being at home, of belonging. It is beautiful and cosy but yet still cosmopolitan and almost certainly one of the entertainment capitals of Europe, if not the world.