Hello new baby, goodbye husband...

HELLO NEW BABY

I am proud to announce the birth of my 5th grandchild, Matthew. His aunt and uncle - Orla and Joseph - are thrilled too, as is Marie.

He was 7lb 6oz (3.345kg) and delivered by caesarean section. Jenna was extremely anxious this morning, but once things got under way, sailed through the procedure. Despite previous worries, the birth was uneventful; mother Jenna and Matthew are both fine.

Babies never look their best just after birth, but c-section babies look better than those who have just been squeezed through the birth canal. Here is Matthew, aged 2 hours...


Do you think he has his grandfather's good looks???

I'll be planning a visit to Ireland to see him - and my daughter - soon.

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GOODBYE HUSBAND

While baby Matthew was making his entrance into our family, Colleen's husband, Jim, was making his exit. Married less than 8 months, the couple agreed to separate today. It appears that there is no hope of a reconciliation.

Colleen appears to be bearing up bravely, but having gone through too many similar episodes myself, I can empathise with her true feelings. Marie, who suffered an unpleasant breakup with her first true love, was similarly upset at the news. However, we are both hopeful that a better future awaits Colleen...in due course.

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So it's a happy/sad day. Isn't that just typical of life?

Graduation Day!

It was Carla's graduation day today.

Carla, my oldest daughter, has been studying nursing at Plymouth University. Below, she is on the platform getting her certificate. (She's centre stage.)

The graduation ceremony took place at The Hoe, a spectacular waterside site just minutes away from Plymouth city centre.

This was one of the songs played at the end of the ceremony.



Afterwards, we drank champagne and munched canapés at the post ceremony celebration.

Carla's husband Jason, her sisters Colleen and Collette and I attended the ceremony (Marie went to her parents' house with my 2 little children).

Here is Carla in the middle of a sea of graduates.


Look below. Does it show how proud I am of her?



You see, her degree was achieved despite having a difficult learning environment.

Carla left school at the age of 16 with almost no qualifications. During the examination period that year, Carla was having problems with her mother's husband being violent towards her - and her mother's inability or unwillingness to stop him. This bothered her so much that she came to live with me full time. Under these circumstances, I knew that her examination results were not a true measure of her capabilities; but Carla wasn't so sure...

However, 14 years later, married with 3 children, the youngest of whom was only 1 year old, she resumed her education. As she progressed, she became more self-confident and began to believe that she could complete a university course in nursing.

It was a tough time - as well as studying and bringing up 3 children (with assistance from her husband, of course), she also worked part time to help pay the domestic bills.

Today was the culmination of her efforts.

The mandatory ritual of throwing of Mortar Boards into the air was duly performed.


And this was the moment she had been working so hard for...


Carla is now working at the coronary care unit of our local hospital. She had been here before, on a work experience placement, and the head of the unit begged her to return after graduation.

Carla has determined to carry on with her studies at the university while carrying out her clinical duties. With the determination and ability she has shown so far, she is sure to succeed.

She is an inspiration to her sisters, and anyone else whose school leaving examination results are poor. She has shown that it's never too late to learn.
Never too late to follow your dreams.

Here is another song played at the end of the ceremony...
(I think there must be some Take That fans at Plymouth University)




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Jenna's caesarean section has been moved to Monday. There were tests yesterday, today and there will be more tomorrow. So far, the tests are indicating that there is a great likelihood that there will be no problems with the birth.

Fingers crossed!

New baby tommorrow.

If everything goes well, baby Matthew will come into the world tomorrow without any trouble, and I will be a grandfather for the 5th time.

But I am a little bit worried.

Just a little bit...

Matthew's mum, my daughter Jenna, is very overweight and her blood pressure is erratic. She has been in serious pain for the last couple of months. Matthew is a large baby. If all that wasn't enough, Matthew is in the breech position. The midwife does not want to risk turning him. The safest option is a Caesarian section. That's how I know that he will be born tomorrow.

Two of my own children were c-section babies, so this is not a new experience for me. However, I am in England and Jenna is in Ireland, and she's very anxious about the birth. Her anxiety has been building up all week.

I'll be very relieved when it's all over and I'm told that mother and son are fine and resting peacefully.

In the meantime, I can't help worrying.

Just a little bit...