James Spratt .org

Dear Alex,

Lightning. In the same place twice.

Hello my girl, look at you, what an angel, what a thing for us to have gone and done, again.

I try to write down some things about what’s going on in your life, for documentary purposes, so in years to come you’ll know what was going on in your life, especially these early days whilst you’re clueless. I’ll try to write monthly during your first year and quarterly thereafter. And I want you to have a hint of a smattering of an inkling of an idea about what and how much you mean to us.

You were due to arrive on the 10th, I was thinking the 8th (my birthday) would be nice, but if it wasn’t then or the 10th then when? So when you landed on December 18th though, it was obvious: I met Mummy in a pub near the Barbican after meeting five days earlier online (no I’m not joking) on an 18th; your sister was born on an 18th. And, if you don’t include my big toes, I’ve got 18 digits.

Kate felt something was afoot the evening before so cousin Don and Helene came round for a game of pictionary. We’ve kept the badger that Don drew that night. It doesn’t look like a badger. At all. Then a couple of hours of nothing happening with you, they went back to their place just a little further down the Roman Road and we went to bed. A couple of hours later and you’d grown enough for your amniotic sack no longer to be able to contain you. Mummy’s waters were breaking all over the shop, I was grabbing the camera (well I’ve never seen broken waters before), Helene came back to look after sister, we got our shit together and headed down the road to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel. Only at 1am, in their wisdom, it was locked, because people only need hospitals 9-5. Teetering around the building on the icy ground, we found our way in via the side door, went up to the labour ward, some nurse who looked like we’d woken her pointed us in the wrong direction but eventually we were in the correct room, the room you were born in. Walking along the corridor to get to your room, we passed the screams of the house of horrors and a few hours later Kate was joining in, exactly the same. You’d dumped a load of meconium inside Mummy so there wasn’t going to be any hanging about like we did last time with Frankie (and this also meant we were less inclined to keep the placenta as we did last time). The contractions starting getting worse and scheiße mein alter schtiefels, it was a hard thing to watch the pain that Mummy went through. There was no time for any pain relief other than ‘gas and air’, no time for that planned epidural. “I can’t do this” I remember Mummy saying. 5 hours after arriving at the hospital, at 06h18, you came through. 7lbs 10oz. Bloody nora, birth is an emotional thing.

The Naming of #2
What a bloody farce that became. We must have had a hundred conversations with friends and family over your gestation period that went something along these lines:

Them: “You got a name for her yet?”
Me: “Nope. Got any bright ideas?”
Them: “Amelia?”
Kate: “Grow up.”
Them: “Sophie?”
Me: “I like Sophie but it’s a little too princessy maybe.”

or

Me: “Any suggestions as to what we might name our daughter?”
Them: “erm”
Us: “no, neither have we.”

You get the idea. At some point over the 9 months the following were shortlisted, but none cutting the mustard as Alex has: Layla, Sam, Sami, Ana, Sophie, Sophia, Bow, Cat, Ali, Charlie, Beth, Izzy, Scarlett et al.

Don suggested the name Alex, whilst we were sat around the table playing our board game and twas agreed there and then that that was your name. The morning you were born I checked with Mummy that we were going with Alex and so it was. A day or so later the name Sami came up again and we were back to square one, still at a loss as to what your name was. There was also a bit of pressure on us deciding as we needed to register you in order to get your passport applied for in time for your upcoming first flight to South Africa. So on the 29th December we registered you at Bow Registry Office in the name of Sami Alex Lowry Spratt. A week later we went back to the office and reregistered you, this time lopping of the Sami, which I just couldn’t dig.

And don’t start me on the – “Alex” “Oh, Alexandra?” “N’no, Alex.” What is it with people.

For the record

• Your body can seem a little uptight, like you’re still that foetus, all balled up. Your hands won’t uncurl, I don’t know what’s going on there.
• You’re nocturnal, mostly sleeping during the day only to be up for attention at night. You real funny.

I must warn you – you’ve got this sister. Her name is Frankie and she is a complete fruitcake. She’s been very excited, waiting for you to “come out of Mummy’s tummy”. She currently calls you baby and the pair of you are extremely cute together although right now she can be rather boisterous but she is all good. You guys are going to have so much fun together.

Twelve hours after being born, home

If I had my way (if we had the money), we as a family would spend the rest of our lives travelling the world. Currently though, my job is taking me away a lot and this is far from ideal, leaving you guys behind. I left for Jordan on the 9th January and am due to be there for 3+ weeks, then you guys are off to SA soon after I get back, in time for your Uncle Edd’s wedding, I’m off to Mumbai first then I’ll see you out there. So these first few months we’re not going to see a great deal of each other. I know this isn’t cool, I hope you understand.

Don’t go changing,

Daddy X

Kate had the 12 week scan for #2 a little while back. I bloody missed it as was abroad. Bit of a wriggler apparently. Looks like we’re getting one with a tail too. We find out the sex at the next scan on the 24th July. Boy or girl?

Dear Frankie,

So that was a year in the life of Frankie Spratt then. So much fun. We’ve loved every single second getting to know you so far. At this stage I’m very much a believer that nature far outweighs nurture with your character. You started off being cool as a cuke, now you’re even cooler and so happy and easy going. Apart from those little spaz-attacks you’re prone to have in the middle of the night. Or when something gets taken away from you. Or when you don’t want to sit in your pushchair. Other than those, you’re cooler than Elvis.

Birthday morning

For the record

• Sat 27th September could be deemed as the date of your first word. The day we moved into Maidenhead you pointed at a picture of a duck and said “Duck”. You then spoiled it by pointing to picture of a frog and saying…”Duck”. Muppetry. Since then though you’ve continued speaking gobbledeegook (racist).
• Since moving into Maidenhead, we took the opportunity to make the move to real cow’s milk and mostly you’re eating real food, with those jars now really only being used as a back up.
• On 14th October I’ve been reliably informed you took 2 steps. Please try and wait until I get home for monumental things like that in future. The day after though I saw you take 5 paces myself, so you’re currently known as Frankie Five Steps.
• You’re now in the more than capable hands of Wendy during the daytime. You seem very happy with her and the other children she looks after.
• Stats: Remember this Frankie: No matter what they tell you, you are not in any way a project.

Phot

Show as slideshow

Exactly a year before you were born, i.e. the 18th October 2006, the day that Mummy and I met for our ‘first date’, I took her to see an ex-colleague play in the Kensington Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. Yes I know, suave move. She then took me for a romantic dinner for two. At McDonald’s. No shame. Still, it clearly worked a treat on me and now there’s a two year tradition already installed that we go to McDonald’s on the 18th October. Last year we went to the one on Tottenham Court Road/ Oxford St whilst killing time waiting for you to pack your gestation bags and come join us. Did I mention it took your 4 days from Mummy’s waters breaking until you turned up? In your own good time my girl. So for your first birthday Emmah, Neil, Bonnie, Don, Helene, Emma, Ed, Paul, Treena, Mick, Amber and us lot piled into the McDonald’s Maidenhead. Getting Auntie Em in there is kudos indeed as she hadn’t entered a McDonalds in over 15 years.

Cousins at your 1st Birthday Party, McDonald's Maidenhead

And that’s a year’s worth these monthly letters. I’m gonna spread them out now and write quarterly. I will however take phot forever more and keep posting monthly pictures. I plan to keep videoing and post more of that up too. I’ll keep documenting as much as I can and I’ll keep publicising and promoting your loveliness, making sure as many people as possible are graced with your images and get to know more about the angel that you are.

Roll on year two.

Love,

Daddy x