Well, we are now officially parents to baby Mia who was born on 25th October 2009 at 2.22pm, weighing 7lbs and 3oz.
After a short stay in hospital Mum and Mia got home on Wednesday 28th October. Since then Mum and Dad have been settling into the new routines and trying to get our heads round the fact we are now parents! Last week there was no Mia, this week she is here and she is real and we are responsible for her - yikes!
To say that she is gorgeous is an understatement. In our eyes she is absolutely perfect. She is so cute and so very, very small.
Proud Dad - 1 Hour after Birth
Baby Mia - 1 Hour after Birth
Mia - 4 Days
Mia - 4 Days
Mia - with her Cousins
Mia with cousin Edie
Mia with Uncle Graham
Life has been pretty hectic since her arrival and we are trying to get our heads round feeding and sleeping patterns. It is all very new and a very steep learning curve! We do wonder if we will ever be able to leave the house again or how you are supposed to look after a baby when there is not 2 of you!!
I am sure it will all get easier and we will get into our own little routine. It is all so amazing, exciting, daunting, and so, so worth it! One look at her cute little face is enough to make us smile and remember how lucky we are to have her.
Wow what about this picture - BF in 3D at 27 weeks!!
So amazing!!! You can see her face and she looks so contented.
Malcolm and I decided that we could not stand the uncertainty of not knowing for sure if BF is a girl so off I went for a sexing scan today to get a better idea given that I am now 27 weeks and it should be more obvious. And it was confirmed that BF is a girl :-) Phew is all I can say given the amount of pink things already purchased!!
During the scan we also got a 3D picture as above. It took a while to get since BF had decided to put both hands and legs in front of her face and the scanner could not get a clear picture until the very end. It was well worth waiting for the shot though since she looks adorable. Yes, I am biased!!!!
I will start this post with the Champ class that Pebbles took part in since it was first up on the Saturday.
In the jumping class Pebbles went clear, not the tidiest clear and certainly not the smoothest but a good clear which is what was needed. In the agility round, not long after, she also did a clear round, again not one of her best rounds but solid. And I have to say that as a combination it was probably the best 2 qualifying rounds we have done in a Champ class this year so I was pretty pleased. This was shown by the fact that she qualified for the final and we were 4th last to go which was a really good position to be in.
The course for the final was really good - a few little twists and turns and a really tricky weave entry which really made me think hard about how to handle it. In the end I went with the entry that kept Pebbles on the left hand side but meant she had to go straight past a tunnel entry without going in. As usual I was pretty nervous but have to say that I am definitely getting better at handling the Champ classes and we started off really well. Pebbles negotiated the hard turns brilliantly tight and, I have to say, did the whole of the first half of the course really well. She was focused, smooth and doing really tight turns. Fantastic! Then came the hard weave entry and once again Pebbles did not disappoint as I pulled her away from the tunnel entry and then pushed her back for the weave entry she followed me exactly and did a great entry and weave. At the end of the weave I pulled her back towards the cloth tunnel and then disaster - I forgot the course!!!!! Instead of letting her take the jump straight after the tunnel which poor little Pebbles was all set to do I had a brain melt down and pulled her left and onto the see saw one obstacle too soon. It was then that the crowd groaned and as we finished I wondered what had gone wrong. Yes, I didn't even realise I had missed the jump until someone told me as we crossed the last jump. To say I was gutted would be an understatement - it is the first time ever that I have forgotten a course and can't believe I did it. There have been a number of sleepless nights since I can tell you. It is one of those things that keeps playing over and over in your head!
What disappoints the most it that when I think back it was a great round for Pebbles and immediately afterwards I reckoned would have put her behind Tash (who did a lovely clear round) and finished 2nd, outwith the course time. However, the worst thing about it is I think she might have been faster, possibly even won it, but I will never ever know. And it is this not knowing that is the worst. And I really feel that I let Pebbles down, she had put everything into the round and my mistake ruined any chance we might have had.
So I have made 2 Champ finals this year which I am really, really pleased about but have to say both finals could have been better! I can only say now though that it can't possibly get any worse and I need to just get on with it and try to beat the nerves so that next time I give Pebbles every chance of at least getting a clear round.
The rest of the rounds that day passed pretty much in a blur since all Pebbles rounds seemed to happen at once. She did manage a 2nd in agility and Barney also managed a 2nd in agility despite me really working his contacts which lost a lot of time. His contacts all day were really good, especially his A frame which is definitely getting faster and more consistent.
Onto Sunday and I was lucky enough to have Malcolm there doing some videoing so for a change I have videos of some of our runs. I will start with Barney:
In the jumping round it was a nice flowing course but with plenty to think about. Again Barney did well with the tight turns at the start, not normally his strong point. The turns at the jumps nearest the camera were a bit wide but all in all he did well and listened to my commands really well. He finished with a good clear and placed 1st Grade 6. Well done Barney :-)
Next Barney does an agility round where my main focus all weekend was to get his contacts. As you can see he did a really nice weave entry and did really well on the tight turns in the box after the weave. His dog walk was OK, he got the contact but it was a bit slow. Definitely better than earlier on in the year so I am really happy with the progress. The A frame again was slow but he really got the contact position which again is getting more consistent. Unfotunately there was a bit of a mix up at the cloth tunnel at the finish and he stuck his nose in before deciding that he had seen me run past so popped back out again!!
Pebbles started with a clear in agility which she did really well again despite the nightmare handling. I forgot where I was going after the weave and we nearly missed the jump until I did a mad push out, then after the A frame and jump I forgot where I was going again! Then if you look closely you will notice that naughty, horrible Mum manages to give Pebbles a kick in the face, enough to knock her sideways, as she comes out of the cloth tunnel. It completely floors her and she stands stock still looking dazed until I go back and get her to take the final jump! The poor wee soul and she still managed 2nd despite all this.
Then she went onto an elimination in the jumping round. She backed jumped. This seems to be a common thing when I send her over a jump and then move back to the next jump, rather than go round the jump wing she looks at me going back away from the jump and follows me over the jump. The good thing about this is that she is going over the jump even as I stop ready to turn back, previously she would have stopped as soon as I stopped. And rather than go right up to the jump wing and bring her round I have been trying to stand back and let her go forward on her own. This has not quite worked yet!! Pebbles still watches my every move and won't work too far away from me like Barney. Still the rest of the round was pretty solid.
She went clear in the final jumping round with a steady round and although I have no idea if she placed I doubt if she was fast enough. It is hilarious to watch my handling of Pebbles. I must stand up straighter and try not to stoop to her level! Something to work on I think!
I have to confess though that I was finding it really difficult to remember the courses all weekend. I think on the Saturday it was a mixture of nerves as well as what I am going to call 'pregancy brain'!!! Yes, I think the hormones were having fun with my memory as I struggled to remember where I was going some of Saturday and most of Sunday. Lets hope it doesn't get any worse for the Fife show!!!
From this show, my favourite show of the year, we went straight to Yellowcraigs caravan site, a mere 15 minutes down the road, for a weeks holiday which I was sorely needing. It was great to get a rest and simply enjoy walks on the beach and a few meals out. The weather was unbelievable as well with shorts and tee shirts worn every day until the Friday. It was like camping in France. I even got a tan!!
The 'bump' is now 26 weeks old - yes, nearly 6 months down and only 3 to go. I am really starting to notice the bulk of the 'bump' in everyday life. It is heavy and thus makes normal activities more tiring. Still amazing to think that in 14ish weeks there will be another human being in the Fairweather family. I can't wait!
So what news of BF? Last week Malcolm and I went to the PRI for the 20 week scan. We were very excited and looking forward to seeing BF again and to hear its heart and see it move.
It was amazing. BF has developed so much even since the 12 week scan. We could see fingers, toes, spine, heart, brain and lots of movement. Everything was fine and all the necessary bits and pieces were there in the right place and were the right size!! We had decided we wanted to know the sex of the baby before going into the scan.
It turns out that there is a high chance BF is a girl :-) Wow, we were all convinced it was a boy! It is not definite and it could still be a boy but for now it is a girl. We are both really thrilled although were advised by the doctor not to decorate the nursery pink and to keep all receipts just in case it is wrong!!
So here are a couple of pictures of BF at 20 weeks - the first of her feet and the second of her side on:
I have started to notice a 'bump' now at 21 weeks which is really strange. I have even had to go and buy some maternity tops! It is getting really real now!
Other than that life has been pretty normal with no agility shows for a few weeks. It has been good to get a chance to get things in the house sorted. We have managed to clear out the nursery and the wardrobe - no mean feat I can tell you given the junk that was in it! It is looking great now though.
The other main task for me has been shopping - my favourite hobby! I have been on a few trips out with my Mum and we have managed to buy a few baby essentials as well as a few little outfits which are so cute :-) I have also spent time ordering stuff from the internet. The next shopping trip will be to Mothercare to get the rest of the essentials on the list. This won't be until mid-August now though since we have agility shows and our next holiday to fit in before hand.
So from the weekend after next things get very busy and before I know it the agility season will be over for me (am stopping at the beginning of August) and I will have BF to concentrate on. And of course it won't be long after that that I am on maternity leave - yippee!!
Well I am just recovering from the sun burn from a really, really hot weekend in Lanark. The good news is that Mum managed to join me in the caravan for the weekend to keep me and the dogs company. She was a great help and it was great to see her back in action again after all her trails and tribulations and operations :-)
On the Saturday we started with the small and medium Olympia qualifier. This was the event that Pebbles won last year to qualify for the semi-finals completely out of the blue and where Barney finished 4th to also qualify completely by surprise.
This year Pebbles finished 3rd which was a brilliant result again although did not qualify and Barney finished 6th again not qualifying . I am glad they both did brilliantly but also glad they did not qualify because I would not have gone to the semi-finals anyway because they are too late in the year for me to manage the ‘bump’! I don’t know what it is but Pebbles seems to like this event because she did a brilliant round, really smooth and fast. What a star. Barney also did a really smooth round and did really good contacts so I was really pleased.
The rest of the weekend was a mixed bag with Barney managing 2 Grade 6 jumping wins to take him only 1 Grade 6 agility win away from Grade 7 – yippee! My aim this season was for Barney to get to Grade 7 so I am thrilled he is doing so well. I just hope he can get the last agility win before the end of the season.
Pebbles did some really good rounds including a great agility round over Joanne Dall’s really, really long course. I couldn’t even get the commands out by the end of the round it was so long and I was so out of breath!! And I was not the only one! Still she managed a great round to finish 2nd – well done Pebbles. She does so well for such a tiny wee thing.
The main issue that arose over the weekend was both Barney and Pebbles popped out of the same weave 2 poles early with Barney doing it twice. The format of the weave was as below:
My theory is that in almost all occasions the dogs go from the weave forward to another obstacle so keep driving forward where as in this example it was a sharp turn with nothing out in front. I was not sure how to deal with it either – should I stay level with them, lag behind or go ahead? This is definitely something I am going to work on over the next few weeks. Instead of weave entries I am going to have to think about weave exits! I will have to try and vary the position of the first obstacle after the weave and see if I can handle it differently as well i.e. do some next to the dog, some behind the dog, some ahead of the dog and some away from the dog. I think I need Kenny’s help with this one though!
I would like to say on a really positive note I sent both dogs into the weave on my left and crossed behind to go down the left side of the weave. Brilliant! It is great to be able to cross behind it means all the training is paying off. I will have to keep doing this in competition when possible to keep it working.
So that is all the shows for us for a while now. We are not going to Prestwick next weekend because we are going to Darren Dods’s wedding on Saturday and then there are no shows for the next 2 weekends. So the next trip will be Clyde Valley show at Irvine at the end of June. That will give us some weekends at home to get the nursery organised J
Once again I have been lax at writing on my blog – there just never seems to be enough time!
It has been a while since I did the SKC show and so I am sorry but I am only going to be able to write about Pebbles in the Champ class because I cannot remember any of the other classes in detail! Although I do remember that we did not get any great results in other classes despite some really good clear rounds. Just not fast enough! Barney, in particular, is coming on really well and is really starting to listen to me which is great.
So back to the Champ class. It started with a jumping round which suffice to say was interesting. Out of the 26 or so dogs that were entered only 5 actually got round without being eliminated! Fortunately Pebbles managed a clear round. I cannot claim it to be the best round ever in fact, it was very messy, un-smooth, and not the best handling in the world but I knew from watching others (we were near the end of the running order) that all I needed was a clear round or a round with faults, basically do not get eliminated. So we did that – phew!
Then it was on to the agility round which was a really nice flowing course with not too much handling to worry about. Pebbles managed a clear round, again not the smoothest due to my nervous handling – I knew I only had to get round without being eliminated to get to the final! Once again Pebbles did me proud and got a clear round so we were through to the final – yippee. It was my aim this year to get to one Champ final with Pebbles so I was really chuffed to have achieved that J
The final was very nerve wracking especially since there were only 5 dogs who had qualified and we were running 4th so had qualified 2nd best! Yikes! The 3 dogs before me all got faults so I knew that I only needed to go clear to get a place. Mmmm, and that’s where our luck ran out. For some reason Pebbles popped out of the last pole of the weaves, so not like her. In fact I cannot remember the last time she did this, if at all! I am not sure if it was my handling or another theory is that there was no obstacle directly in front of the weave so nothing to drive forward to. This theory is backed up by the fact that at this weekend’s Avon show both Barney and Pebbles popped out of the weaves early when there was no obstacle at the end of the weave but was off to an angle – mmmm, cause for thought and training! So that was that no place and eliminated for the first time that day. Poor wee Pebbles and she tries so hard and gives her all. I was so proud of her and think she is brilliant no matter what the result. She is my little star!
I went to the Kingdom of Fife 1 day show in early April accompanied by my Mum and my nieces. It turned out to be a nice day with the sun shining on us for the afternoon. We also managed to enjoy some bacon or egg rolls and some chips to keep us going!!
Pebbles did really well with only 1 elimination in the agility round. I sent her onto the dog walk on my right and went to cross behind her to the right side but as soon as I stopped to cross over she stopped and I had to jump over her!! But she had already touched the up touch marker so was eliminated by coming off and going back on again to go over the dog walk. I am not totally surprised she did this since I have not done a lot of crosses behind at either dog walks or a-frames but given our work on getting her to work ahead I kind of hoped she would keep working forward and ignore my stop. Alas, no, it is not that simple obviously!!
Funnily enough Barney did exactly the same on the same bit of the course which did surprise me. He went onto the dog walk and jumped off the side as I appeared on his right. Mmmm, not sure about this one, not like Barney to worry what I am doing behind him.
Other than that Pebbles and Barney had some lovely rounds over jumping courses but were just not quick enough to be placed. The good news was that Pebbles did not yip as much as she had on the Sunday at Dundee after her see-saw incident. She did yip sometimes and was not as flowing as she was on the Saturday at Dundee but it was definitely an improvement.
On the Sunday we packed up the caravan and headed off to Yellowcraigs camp site at Dirleton (our favourite!). We stayed there from the Sunday to the Friday before we set off to Woodside show at Biggar. We had a great time with plenty of rest and sleep which is what I needed. And of course, there was time to enjoy the home made chocolate cake at the local tea shop J The dogs had a great time with 2 walks a day on the beach and Pebbles getting to chase the ball endlessly and until she was exhausted every evening. Her idea of heaven!!
On the Friday we headed off to Biggar camp site since we did not get onto the show site this year. It was not the nicest site and although close to the agility site it was still not the same as being camped next to the rings. However, on going to the agility site to walk the dogs and to visit Liz and Rodger on the Friday evening Malcolm decided to ask at the camping check in point if there was any chance of a spare camping pitch. And there was!!! So we hastily moved the van down to a great pitch just by the rings on the Saturday morning. Yes, a hassle but well worth it. Thanks so much to Rodger for all his help getting us moved and for his lovely Land Rover which saved the day!
The Saturday saw Pebbles in the Champ show, our first ever one! Gulp! I was very nervous! She did really, really well. With 5 faults in the jumping from a refusal at the wall (not a shock given she has never been keen on walls) and then a clear in the jumping. However, she was not fast enough overall to qualify for the final. Still a good solid performance which I was happy with. I have to say though that I was not phased by the courses which I had expected to be and thought they were pretty easy for a Champ class. Good in one way to not scare me but bad in that Pebbles often excels at the harder, tighter courses. I am sure this won’t be my complaint at the next Champ show though!
Barney did a brilliant clear on jumping for the last run of the day and finished a brilliant second in combined 5-7. He was definitely on form the whole day and was moving much faster than he has been known to do! Malcolm and I think a week on holiday on the beach chasing the ball always seems to help Barney who comes away a bit fitter. He can be lazy when he wants to be!
At the end of the day we took Pebbles to see the Chiropractor because I just felt that since Dundee she has not been quite right. And this was confirmed by the fact that all day she had been very hesitant going up the a-frame (noticed by a few observers in the morning). It turned out she had a sore back which was manipulated back into shape. Poor wee soul she must have been in pain and going up the a-frame must have been sore. Hopefully, she feels much better now!
On the Sunday we started with 2 jumping rounds early in the morning. Pebbles went clear in both and was definitely back on form – no yipping and flying along. She must feel much better without the back pain! She did not make the prizes though. Barney went clear in one round and was eliminated in the other. No prizes for the clear round – too many fast Grade 7 dogs! To finish they both did a really tricky combined 5-7 agility. Barney did a brilliant round and despite a few traps and tight turns he performed brilliantly and went clear. Only 4 dogs in the whole class went clear! He finished 2nd which was a brilliant result.
Pebbles then did an amazing clear round and flew round even flying over the a-frame and dog walk. Yippee!! She is back and working ahead of me again like she did at Dundee before the see-saw bashing. The training is working! And what amazing weave entries all weekend! She finished 1st which was a brilliant result and only her 2nd ever win in a Grade 7 class. What a great way to finish the weekend.
Mia with cousin Edie
I have started to notice a 'bump' now at 21 weeks which is really strange. I have even had to go and buy some maternity tops! It is getting really real now!
