HE kept me waiting four days past due date, but finally after forty weeks and a few extra days, our beautiful boy is here!

Naturally we are all so, so besotted with him and I know I’m totally biased, but he really couldn’t be more perfect.

Leo Jamie arrived into the world, with his tiny hand pressed against his petite face, at 9.15pm on Saturday 28th January, weighing a surprisingly diddy 6 pounds and 9 ounces. Just eleven days ago and yet, as is the surreal way when you have a baby, it already feels like he’s been part of our family forever.

It’s been a wonderful, emotional, exhausting rollercoaster of a time since he arrived into the world.

Leo’s birth was bonkers and surreal, a tale of two halves – serenity and speed! I’ve written about it briefly for the BabyCentre today if you want to know more and take a look at some photos and will perhaps write about it in more length on here too if I can stop the tears flowing! (Just looking at the photos and videos that Jamie took makes me weep with happiness.)

But all in all, it was pretty wonderful. Or as I like to tell people, beautifully brutal!

It was challenging, I won’t lie, but delivering him without any pain relief or intervention really was one of the greatest achievements of my life. I’m still in utter awe at what my body managed to do and as with Elsie’s arrival, I will never ever forget Leo’s birth nor the moment I saw or held him for the very first time.

After a ‘textbook perfect delivery’ (according to the midwives) and after being blissfully happy back at home within hours of Leo’s birth, sadly we were soon back at hospital, on a children’s ward, just a few hours later as little Leo showed signs of jaundice within the first 24 hours.

I don’t think I’ve ever sobbed so much as I did when he was admitted and told he needed treatment, but thanks to the brilliant and supportive care we received, we were soon back home just a day or so later, safe and deliriously happy again in our newborn bubble.

Last week we were inundated with family visits and spent our first days together bonding as parents and as a new family of four whereas this week has been all about getting back to some kind of normality, our new ‘normal’.

I’ve tackled and survived the school run (three days in and so far so good!) and Jamie has returned to work, dashing home in the evenings to see us as soon as he can.

Elsie is besotted with her baby brother and has been such a brave, supportive and caring little girl, dealing with his hospital treatment wonderfully and helping me to look after him. She’s shown maturity beyond her years and I’m so incredibly proud of her.

My heart is full of love and gratitude right now and I honestly cannot think of a time when I’ve ever been so happy.

As Elsie said so brilliantly the other day: “I love him (*adds* and my newly extended little family) so much, I could burst!”

Welcome to the world my darling Leo. Just like your sister, you are so, so loved.

HUGE thank you to the brilliant staff at Barnsley Hospital for taking such good care of Leo and I and to everyone who has been in touch to send cards, gifts or well wishes.

You’ve all helped to make this incredibly precious time extra special. x