When do YOU think Caroline will have her baby?
Caroline and Mike are proud to announce the birth of
Chloe Louise
Date: 1st November, 2011 - 1.11.11
Time: 15.20 hours
Weight: 6lb 11oz
And we are also pleased to announce Marian (Mike's Mum) has won.
Hers was the closest guess at 01.45 hrs. Boy 6lb 10 oz
Her due date is November 8th.
UPDATE:
It is Monday, evening 31st October. Caroline is currently IN LABOUR!
So - entries are officially closed.
Once we get the baby's official birth moment, we will let you know the winner.
THANKS so much for playing everyone - this is so much fun.
SO LET'S SEE WHO CAN GUESS WHEN THE BIG MOMENT WILL BE........
How to Play:
To join in our game, leave a comment for Caroline and Mike with your guess of when the baby will arrive. (Remember couples can have two guesses).
Example: November 8th at 02.40 hours (Please use 24 hour clock).
Also add your guess of the sex and weight - in case of a draw.
The closest will win a prize!
We will announce the winner as soon as we can.
Ready, Set, Guess..........
Phil and Sheila
philrees1@btinternet.com
Guesses:-
Date Time Sex Weight
31st Oct 23.50hrs Girl 7lb
2nd Nov 01.45 hrs Boy 6lb 10 oz Marian and Bill
(Great Grandma's birthday!) but any sex, date, time, weight will be brilliant!
Can't wait.
3rd Nov 04.32 hrs Boy 6lb 5oz Sharon.
Good Luck
5th Nov 02.00 hrs Boy 6lb 12 oz Tricia
5th Nov 03.40 hrs Girl 6lb 70z Bec
5th Nov 18.10 hrs Boy 7lb Caz Mum to be (Guy???)
5th Nov 23.55 hrs Girl 6lb 8 oz Geoff
6th Nov 01.30 hrs Boy 6 lb 5 oz Phillipa
6th Nov 12.30 hrs Girl 6lb 7oz Joan
Best wishes for a healthy baby
6th Nov 13.45 hrs Boy 6lb 11oz Gemma
6th Nov 14.00 hrs Girl 8lb Lisa
6th Nov 19.30hrs Boy 7lb 6oz Noreen
7th Nov 00.20 hrs Girl 7lb 1 oz Chris and Ann
7th Nov 15.10 hrs Boy 7lb 4 oz Mike Dad to be
7th Nov 20.00 hrs Girl 6lb 7 oz Alun
7th Nov 22.00 hrs Girl 7lb 7oz Stuart
8th Nov 06.30 hrs Boy 8lb 12 oz Jenny
8th Nov 06.34hrs Boy 7lb 1oz Katie
8th Nov 12.21 hrs Girl 6lb 15oz John Candy
My birthday
9th Nov 03.40 hrs Boy 7lb 8 oz Monty
9th Nov 15.30 hrs. Girl 6lb 7 oz Hannah
I'm going to go for my mummy's birthday, just in time for tea. Very excited to meet the little one! Much love
9th Nov 15.30 hrs. Boy 7lb Chris Hilton
10th Nov 03.15 hrs Boy 6lb 3 oz Suzi and Tim.
I have probably got every detail wrong.
10th Nov 04.00 hrs Boy 7lb 2 oz Ann and Ivan
10th Nov 06.30 hrs Girl 6lb 7oz Julia Candy
10th Nov 09.25 hrs Boy 6lb 5oz John Rees
I'm no good at this.
10th Nov 11.00hrs Girl 6lb 10oz Amy
Time has flown, I like the game idea too!
10th Nov 11.45 hrs Girl 6lb 4 oz Sheila Lyons
What Fun! Can't believe how that time has flown by!
10th Nov 17.55 hrs Boy 6lb 9oz Lynsey
11th Nov 02.35 hrs Boy 7lb 10 oz Naomi
Very excited to meet him/her (although we think it's a him).
11th Nov 09.20 hrs Boy 3.640kg Doug and Sofia
11th Nov 11.00hrs. Boy 7lb Eleanor
What an exciting time for you all. He will make his first cry in the minute's silence.
Wishing Caroline and Mike all the best for this very big event.
11th Nov 13.00hrs Boy 7lb 1oz Danny
12th Nov 03.00 hrs Girl 6lb 9oz Clive and Rosie
All the best to Caroline and Mike plus 1 - hang on maybe we'll guess twins????
12th Nov 05.20 hrs Boy 7lb 8oz Alistair
12th Nov 08.04 hrs Boy 8lb 3 oz Stephen and Ebony
Sleep will be your friend Mike and Caroline.
12th Nov 08.15 hrs Girl 7lb 4oz Sylvia
12th Nov 15.00 hrs Boy 7lb 7oz Mum
12th Nov 15.20 hrs Boy 6lb 12oz Chris and Ann
What a fun idea!
12th Nov 18.00 hrs Girl 6lb 13 oz Fiona
12th Nov 20.25 hrs Boy 7lb 8oz Karen
12th Nov 21.20 hrs Boy 7lb 6 oz Dad
13th Nov 11.50 hrs Boy Alan and Janet
What an unusual and nice idea. Here's hoping for a quick and safe delivery
14th Nov 11.45 hrs Girl 6lb 13oz Sue and Mike
14th Nov 18.30 hrs Girl 6lb 8oz Tina
14th Nov 21.15hrs Boy 7lb 2oz Leanne
14th Nov 23.30 hrs Girl 7lb 7 oz Emily
15th Nov 12.00 hrs Boy 6lb 8oz Maureen and Graeme
The baby will be a lovely playmate for litte Emmie.
15th Nov 16.00 hrs Girl 6lb 4 oz Tim/Suzi
16th Nov Girl 6lb 6oz Geoff
16th Nov 08.45 hrs Girl 8lb 4 oz Les Thorn
16th Nov 23.59 hrs Boy 7lb 3 oz Jane and Ian
17th Nov 20.30 hrs Girl 7lb 10 oz or 3.54 kg Tony and Pauline
23rd Nov Boy 6lb 9oz Pammy
Geoff Barron - Pam is in Liverpool until Thursday and this competition is well outside my area of competance. I will need to wait to be guided by one who knows about these things!!!! Best regards.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Caroline's Pre-Baby Party
On Sunday, 2nd October, 2011 I organised along with Gemma and Tina, two of the sweetest ladies I know, a champagne afternoon tea for Caroline. We thought it would be nice to share the excitement with a party before baby arrives. We hoped it would be a lovely bonding event in a "we are here for you" sort of way and it was. The party had a jungle theme because Caroline and Mike have decorated the nursery with a jungle theme. It was a jungle of cutenes.
In celebration, Britain also took a last exuberant twirl in the autumn sun. Traffic clogged the roads to Bournemouth and the seaside and Tina and I were still making sandwiches when the guests arrived.
Temperatures soared so high they were on the verge of triggering a government heatwave warning. However, as I blog grey skies and showers have returned. As it was such a lovely day we were able to decorate the garden also with bunting and were lucky enough to do the entire party outside.
Gemma was in charge of the decorating and the garden and house looked amazing and when mummy-to-be walked in she was thrilled with the decorations and all the effort that had gone into them. Around the house were flowers, adorable cuddly toys looking after jungle balloons and various baby items and cute clothes on a washing line.
We had loads of afternoon tea food arranged on the table including darling cupcakes made by Gemma.
Tina made some delicious quiches which were in a league all of their own. Afternoon tea may be an old-fashioned idea but it still seems one worth resurrecting...Alun who arrived to be chief taster was very impressed and indeed asked for the recipe for the Indian-style Egg sandwiches. Deliciously different with a fab fruity curry taste, here it is Alun:-
3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp mild curry paste
4 apricots, finely chopped
8 slices white sandwich bread.
Shell and finely chop the eggs. Mix with the mayonnaise, curry paste and apricots. Easy.
Gemma served champagne and/or lemonade. Parenting 101. Tea followed later.
Also on the table was a Nappy Cake. Tina wants the instructions on how to make:-
60 plus nappies (depends on how big you make it). I used huggies new born.
Ribbon patterned to fit the baby shower theme.
60 small rubber bands (depending on how you want to "build" the cake.
6 large rubber bands
One 8 oz baby bottle. I used Johnsons.
Something for the top to match the theme. I used a stuffed tiger.
Cake platter
Cake decorations. I used balls of cotton wool but you could use baby sock roses, and baby items.
Step 1. Here we go: Let's build this cake one tier at a time.
For the first tier, you will need about 35 newborn nappies.
Unfold 17 of them and, one at a time, roll them up tight, starting from the front of the nappy and rolling it to the back. The tighter the better. Place a rubber band around the centre after you roll each nappy to hold it tight. These are the inner nappies for the cake.
Take the cake platter and place the 8 oz baby lotion in the centre. Then place about 5-6 nappies around the bottle and put a large rubberband around the entire ring of diapers.
Next, form a second ring with the remaining 11-12 nappies by placing them around the 1st ring of nappies. Complete it by placing a large rubberband around the 2nd ring.
Now for the final ring of nappies for the 1st tier: Take 18-20 nappies, unfold each one, roll them up tight like before, but instead of a rubber band around each one, tie a thin, 1/4 inch piece of ribbon around the middle around each one. Then place them around the second ring to form a 3rd ring. Now take a large, 1/2 to 1 inch wide ribbon and tie it around the entire tier to hold them all together in a circle shape.
(Note you could use just rubberbands around each nappy for the 3rd ring if you have opaque ribbon to hold the 3rd ring together. The important part is that no rubberbands are showing when you are done).
ALL RIGHT! you have made the 1st tier.
Step 2. The second tier is made much the same way, only instead of 3 rings, you will only make 2 rings of nappies. Just like the 1st tier, the inside ring will need about 5-6 nappies. Part of the 8 oz bottle will be sticking out of the 1st tier, so place your 5-6 nappies around it to form the 1st ring of the 2nd tier. The 2nd ring will need 11-12 nappies. Place a ribbon around each one of those 2nd ring nappies and hold them all together in a circle with the 1/2 to 1 inch wide ribbon, just like before.
Step 3. Third tier is easy!
It is probably easiest to assemble this tier on a table and then place it on the rest of the cake after it is assembled. So, take a 4 oz bottle or soft toy or whatever and place it on the table.
Then take 5-6 nappies and roll them up like before and tie them with the thin ribbon.
Then place them around the 4 oz baby bottle or whatever and tie your wide ribbon around it to hold it together tightly in it's shape. Take the top tier and place it on the top.
DRUM ROLL PLEASE. AND NOW FOR THE FINISHED PRODUCT.....
I organised some games, but I didn't want anything too regimented or time constricted. I was a bit worried that people might not enjoy the games or find them a bit silly, but everyone really loved playing them and they were all great sports.
Boy or Girl? That is the question. So we asked Caroline some old wives' tales trivia questions:-
If you have colder feet than before pregnancy, then you are having a Boy.
She said No.
If you are carrying your baby high, then you are having a Girl
She is High
If you are craving sweets, then you are having a Girl
She doesn't
If your baby's heartrate is over 140, then you are having a Girl.
It is over, this was confirmed by Emily, Mike's sister, a midwife.
If you dislike orange juice during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy
She loves orange juice
If your nose is widening during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy
It isn't
If you are especially beautiful during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy because a girl steals her mother's beauty. But not in Gemma or Emily's case.
We all thought Caroline looked beautiful
If the expectant father is gaining weight just like you, then you are having a Boy
He isn't.
If the sum of your age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, then you are having a Girl.
Odd
If you are craving meats or cheese, then you are having a Boy
She isn't.
When you show someone your hands, if you hold them palms up, then you are having a Girl.
Palms up.
If the hair on your legs grows faster during pregnancy then you are having a Boy
It isn't
If you sleep with your pillow to the north, then you are having a Boy
She doesn't
If your wedding ring hung over your stomach moves in circles then you are having a Girl
Mike carried out this test, it moved back and forwards.
If your mother (the baby's maternal grandmother) has grey hair, then you are having a Boy.
?????????
We then played Guess the Baby.
Each guest brought a photograph of themselves and we all tried to match the guest with their cute baby picture. When the guest was known she read out her new parent advice which she had written on a heart shaped card. These were then stuck in a memory book next to the photo as a memento.
Lots of advice involved bottles in the fridge and I am not talking about milk!!!!
If you think I'm cute, you should see my Mummy's baby photograph. They think she looked like me.
Keeping with the Jungle theme the next 2 games involved animals. Answers at the end of this blog.
Name the Baby. Write down all the baby names to the corresponding animal names.
Alligator
Antelope
Ape
Cheetah
Elephant
Fox
Kangaroo
Pigeon
Snake
Spider
Tiger
Wolf
Zebra
How long does it take to carry a baby.....
American Black Bear ............................months
Blue Whale.............................................months
Cheetah...................................................days
Elephant (Asian).....................................months
Gibbon....................................................weeks
Gorilla.....................................................months
Hippopotamus.........................................days
Mouse......................................................days
Spider monkey.........................................months
Whale.......................................................year
Zebra........................................................months
(I have put these in full so Nigel, Gemma's Dad, can try to score 100%. )
The last game was Toilet Paper Nappy. In teams of 2. One person stands while the other wraps a nappy on her. Dianne was the judge and she thought Caroline's looked like a nappy?
I'm happy to say that the day was a huge success and everyone had a great time. Caroline said she thought Gemma, Tina and I were a very professional team, We had brought all the food, decorations, even cup and saucers so she didn't even have to switch on the dishwasher. They came, they entertained, they left.
Party favours were individually packaged baby feet cookies with blue and pink icing from our favourite bakery - Gemma's kitchen.
I gave Caroline a Nappy Bag so she could organise herself ready for the birth. Well-stocked it is one part suitcase, one part first aid kit, one part entertainment centre and one part portable toilet!! Hope I didn't forget anything. She said it will not leave her side for the next few months.
So many of Caroline's friends sacrificed so much of their time just to support Caroline and travelled long distances in very heavy traffic. Thank you.
We look forward to welcoming Caroline and Mike's new baby into the world........another party perhaps. "Call me Bubbles".
Caroline and Mike practising at the end of the day.
Hello, sweet little baby.
I'm excited.....I'm filled with joy!
I can't help but wonder if you're a girl or a boy.
I find myself dreaming what we will play.
Tea parties for a girl
Sailboats for a boy.
As soon as I know, I'll buy you a toy.
Soon you'll see how much I care, there's so much to do, so much to share.
But first I must thank God above for sending you for me....to love!
We had loads of afternoon tea food arranged on the table including darling cupcakes made by Gemma.
3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp mild curry paste
4 apricots, finely chopped
8 slices white sandwich bread.
Shell and finely chop the eggs. Mix with the mayonnaise, curry paste and apricots. Easy.
Gemma served champagne and/or lemonade. Parenting 101. Tea followed later.
Also on the table was a Nappy Cake. Tina wants the instructions on how to make:-
60 plus nappies (depends on how big you make it). I used huggies new born.
Ribbon patterned to fit the baby shower theme.
60 small rubber bands (depending on how you want to "build" the cake.
6 large rubber bands
One 8 oz baby bottle. I used Johnsons.
Something for the top to match the theme. I used a stuffed tiger.
Cake platter
Cake decorations. I used balls of cotton wool but you could use baby sock roses, and baby items.
Step 1. Here we go: Let's build this cake one tier at a time.
For the first tier, you will need about 35 newborn nappies.
Unfold 17 of them and, one at a time, roll them up tight, starting from the front of the nappy and rolling it to the back. The tighter the better. Place a rubber band around the centre after you roll each nappy to hold it tight. These are the inner nappies for the cake.
Take the cake platter and place the 8 oz baby lotion in the centre. Then place about 5-6 nappies around the bottle and put a large rubberband around the entire ring of diapers.
Next, form a second ring with the remaining 11-12 nappies by placing them around the 1st ring of nappies. Complete it by placing a large rubberband around the 2nd ring.
Now for the final ring of nappies for the 1st tier: Take 18-20 nappies, unfold each one, roll them up tight like before, but instead of a rubber band around each one, tie a thin, 1/4 inch piece of ribbon around the middle around each one. Then place them around the second ring to form a 3rd ring. Now take a large, 1/2 to 1 inch wide ribbon and tie it around the entire tier to hold them all together in a circle shape.
(Note you could use just rubberbands around each nappy for the 3rd ring if you have opaque ribbon to hold the 3rd ring together. The important part is that no rubberbands are showing when you are done).
ALL RIGHT! you have made the 1st tier.
Step 2. The second tier is made much the same way, only instead of 3 rings, you will only make 2 rings of nappies. Just like the 1st tier, the inside ring will need about 5-6 nappies. Part of the 8 oz bottle will be sticking out of the 1st tier, so place your 5-6 nappies around it to form the 1st ring of the 2nd tier. The 2nd ring will need 11-12 nappies. Place a ribbon around each one of those 2nd ring nappies and hold them all together in a circle with the 1/2 to 1 inch wide ribbon, just like before.
Step 3. Third tier is easy!
It is probably easiest to assemble this tier on a table and then place it on the rest of the cake after it is assembled. So, take a 4 oz bottle or soft toy or whatever and place it on the table.
Then take 5-6 nappies and roll them up like before and tie them with the thin ribbon.
Then place them around the 4 oz baby bottle or whatever and tie your wide ribbon around it to hold it together tightly in it's shape. Take the top tier and place it on the top.
DRUM ROLL PLEASE. AND NOW FOR THE FINISHED PRODUCT.....
I organised some games, but I didn't want anything too regimented or time constricted. I was a bit worried that people might not enjoy the games or find them a bit silly, but everyone really loved playing them and they were all great sports.
Boy or Girl? That is the question. So we asked Caroline some old wives' tales trivia questions:-
If you have colder feet than before pregnancy, then you are having a Boy.
She said No.
If you are carrying your baby high, then you are having a Girl
She is High
If you are craving sweets, then you are having a Girl
She doesn't
If your baby's heartrate is over 140, then you are having a Girl.
It is over, this was confirmed by Emily, Mike's sister, a midwife.
If you dislike orange juice during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy
She loves orange juice
If your nose is widening during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy
It isn't
If you are especially beautiful during pregnancy, then you are having a Boy because a girl steals her mother's beauty. But not in Gemma or Emily's case.
We all thought Caroline looked beautiful
If the expectant father is gaining weight just like you, then you are having a Boy
He isn't.
If the sum of your age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, then you are having a Girl.
Odd
If you are craving meats or cheese, then you are having a Boy
She isn't.
When you show someone your hands, if you hold them palms up, then you are having a Girl.
Palms up.
If the hair on your legs grows faster during pregnancy then you are having a Boy
It isn't
If you sleep with your pillow to the north, then you are having a Boy
She doesn't
If your wedding ring hung over your stomach moves in circles then you are having a Girl
Mike carried out this test, it moved back and forwards.
If your mother (the baby's maternal grandmother) has grey hair, then you are having a Boy.
?????????
We then played Guess the Baby.
Each guest brought a photograph of themselves and we all tried to match the guest with their cute baby picture. When the guest was known she read out her new parent advice which she had written on a heart shaped card. These were then stuck in a memory book next to the photo as a memento.
Lots of advice involved bottles in the fridge and I am not talking about milk!!!!
If you think I'm cute, you should see my Mummy's baby photograph. They think she looked like me.
The youngest member of the party also looked like her mummy Emily
Keeping with the Jungle theme the next 2 games involved animals. Answers at the end of this blog.
Name the Baby. Write down all the baby names to the corresponding animal names.
Alligator
Antelope
Ape
Cheetah
Elephant
Fox
Kangaroo
Pigeon
Snake
Spider
Tiger
Wolf
Zebra
How long does it take to carry a baby.....
American Black Bear ............................months
Blue Whale.............................................months
Cheetah...................................................days
Elephant (Asian).....................................months
Gibbon....................................................weeks
Gorilla.....................................................months
Hippopotamus.........................................days
Mouse......................................................days
Spider monkey.........................................months
Whale.......................................................year
Zebra........................................................months
(I have put these in full so Nigel, Gemma's Dad, can try to score 100%. )
The last game was Toilet Paper Nappy. In teams of 2. One person stands while the other wraps a nappy on her. Dianne was the judge and she thought Caroline's looked like a nappy?
I'm happy to say that the day was a huge success and everyone had a great time. Caroline said she thought Gemma, Tina and I were a very professional team, We had brought all the food, decorations, even cup and saucers so she didn't even have to switch on the dishwasher. They came, they entertained, they left.
Party favours were individually packaged baby feet cookies with blue and pink icing from our favourite bakery - Gemma's kitchen.
I gave Caroline a Nappy Bag so she could organise herself ready for the birth. Well-stocked it is one part suitcase, one part first aid kit, one part entertainment centre and one part portable toilet!! Hope I didn't forget anything. She said it will not leave her side for the next few months.
So many of Caroline's friends sacrificed so much of their time just to support Caroline and travelled long distances in very heavy traffic. Thank you.
We look forward to welcoming Caroline and Mike's new baby into the world........another party perhaps. "Call me Bubbles".
Hello, sweet little baby.
I'm excited.....I'm filled with joy!
I can't help but wonder if you're a girl or a boy.
I find myself dreaming what we will play.
Tea parties for a girl
Sailboats for a boy.
As soon as I know, I'll buy you a toy.
Soon you'll see how much I care, there's so much to do, so much to share.
But first I must thank God above for sending you for me....to love!
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