Introducing.......Alice Elin Shepherd

Well, a fair bit has changed since the last time I updated this blog.   President "Paddy" O'bama has finally come home to the Emerald Isle and starred in a Guinness commercial, a slightly easier to pronounce Icelandic volcano has brought all forms of public transport in Britain to a standstill, and I can exclusively reveal that it was Ryan Giggs who.......

.......ok, ok.  The really BIG news is that Alice Elin Shepherd was born on Saturday 21st May weighing in at 7lbs 13ozs - and she is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen!!!  Here she is less than half an hour old:

The birth was a long, drawn out affair with Ceri beginning labour at 5am in the morning on Friday 20th and giving birth almost exactly 24 hours later.  My labour highlights were: Ceri "staying active" to the very last and walking down to Sainsbury's Local on Lordship Lane to buy a copy of "Look" Magazine and some chocolate while having contractions every three minutes.....followed by Ceri dancing round the labour ward 20 hours into labour with my Ipod on, singing along with Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It" at the top of her voice and claiming she could beat my sister at Singstar if they played right now!  What a girl!

*Blokes - look away now - mushy bit coming up*

Seriously though, the labour was very tough at the end with Alice being born by forceps after an agonising and exhausting couple of hours for her mum.  I am quite simply in awe of what Ceri went through to bring little Alice into the world.  She was her brave, happy, caring, smiling self all the way through the birth.  I am the luckiest man in the world to be married to her!

*Blokes - you can look again now!*

So, after 24 hours of labour, our gorgeous little girl was born (or "got out" as one of Ceri's old pupils said at school the other day).  She is tall, pink and wriggly with beautiful big eyes, long legs and her mummy and daddy's love of food.  Actually, they say pictures speak louder than words and it's now 12.30am and I need to get some sleep - so here are some favourite pics from the first three days of little Alice's life:

Alice with the battle scars of birth - forceps marks have gone down now!!

The Shepherd Family prepare to leave the labour ward - site of the inaugural "Tina Turner Labour Singstar Tournament"

Just 24 hours old

Mummy forgot her fake tan - so sunbeds for Alice (ok, she had jaundice but I prefer the sunbed story!!)

Proud Grandparents (Grandpa, Nanny and Grandma - Grandcha Dave seems to have dodged the photocall on my camera - no escape next time Dave!

Aunty Lara and Uncle Gareth stop by for a cuddle

Update for now is that Ceri and Alice are doing really well.  Alice was under the lamp for jaundice but that seems to have cleared up now.  Doctors were also concerned she may have a slight infection so put her on antibiotics (hence the stylish splint you can see in some pics).  Assuming that is all clear, we are hoping that the girls can come home tomorrow.  Can't wait. Before I sign off, here are my five (plus one for luck)favorite photos of our gorgeous girl from the last few days  (I'm limiting to five plus one for luck or we will be here all night):

Ceri junior!!!

All this sleeping, eating and sleeping can get tiring!

Compulsory 70s retro babygrow shot

Duck!

Mummy and Alice!!!

Daddy and Alice!!

And in the spirit of all good shows, I am going to allow myself an encoure (you try picking so few pictures from about 300 when you have just had your first baby!!)

The Shepherd Family 24th May 2011. 

That's all for now folks.  Thanks for sticking with the blog and sorry for the delay in updating.  Promise not to leave it so long until the next post.  Comments welcome only as long as they contain the words "cute, lovely, gorgeous, adorable" etc etc).

I am a dad!!! :-) xxxx