Is Disneyland taking the micky?

Catherine, one of my colleagues has just returned from Florida. Well Disneyland to be more precise - I'm not sure she and her family got beyond the magic kingdom.

Now you can call me a cynic if you must, but it feels to me that if you haven't taken your child to Disney at least twice by the age of ten you're likely to get reported to the NSPCC.

Still, people say the rides and the service are fantastic. But so would you if you were paying all that money....

Daniel and the albatross

Will Daniel ever see an albatross?

That was one of the questions in my mind at the end of today's premiere of 'Race to Save the Albatross', a documentary made by TVE with support from the RSPB. Prince Charles - a passionate supporter of the save the albatross campaign - kindly hosted the premiere in his newly refurbished private cinema and an accompanying reception at Clarence House.

It was rather entertaining to see inside the royal residence - a surprisingly cosy feeling set of elabrately furnished rooms adorned with paintings by the likes of Monet, Sickert and Lowry, and lots of family portraits and photographs. It's not often you go to someone else's home and can instantly recognise everyone in the family photos!

Sadly the world's albatrosses are threatened with extinction. These are amazing birds and as the Prince said, their demise would be 'an appalling commentary on the way we treat the world.'

Reaching new heights

Daniel was measured today for the first time.

This will please my Danish relatives who couldn't understand why he wasn't measured as soon as he was born. Apparently they don't do that here because of the difficulty and discomfort of stretching babies out straight.

He came in at 50.5cm or just under 20 inches. His head circumference is 36.5cm - compared to 33.2 at birth four weeks ago. And he now weighs 3.3kg or 7lbs 3oz, which means he's put on a kilo in four weeks.

What's more the health visitor said he's in perfect proportion, so he might yet make a world class footballer!

A tale of a troll

My very dear sister Wicki, who lives in Denmark (in Odense home to the great fairytale storyteller Hans Christian Andersen) , has sent Daniel a very special present, a mobile of a 'puffing troll'.

Legend has it that many, many years ago when trolls were still to be found in Denmark, it was common knowledge that if you fell and hurt yourself, you simply puffed at a troll and the pain stopped immediately.

'Puffing at trolls when feeling sad, lessens pain and makes you glad.'

Today's mobiles - inspired by a stone carving of the original - retain this special ability.
Apparently it is very important that the troll is given a name by the family with whom the troll comes to live. Leroy - one of the names we joked about giving Daniel before he was born - is one possible option .

Daniel in the lion's den

We have our very own two 'lions'.

Here's Daniel pictured with one of them - Charlie, aka the Great Gransden panther. I'm not quite sure what Charlie and Starlight make of our new addition, but I think they've begun to realise that this particular visitor is here to stay.

In any event I'm pleased to report that as in the biblical story our lions seem happy to accept him.

On the march to stop climate chaos

Great day in London yesterday, supporting the I Count rally in Trafalgar Square. We kicked off with a gathering of over 1,000 RSPB members at the Emmanuel Centre and then went on to join an estimated crowd of 25,000.

The noise, the colours, the banners, placards and costumes were tremendous - people of all ages coming together to voice their concerns about the urgent need to tackle this huge threat to our future. We were entertained by Razorlight and KT Tunstall and heard from activists, a bishop and an actress.

If you care about the world we leave to children like Daniel, please sign up to the I count campaign here - together we can make a difference. There are more great pictures from the rally here.

Turning up the emotional volume

'The highs will be higher and the lows will be lower than anything you've experienced before.' Wise words from a colleague and friend, describing the emotional changes involved in becoming a parent. So far it's essentially been highs with the odd dip - plenty of time yet for the full rollercoaster experience.

A few years ago I used to practice shiatsu, which is a bit like acupuncture without the needles. A fellow practitioner said having a child would open up my heart channel - I'm beginning to appreciate what she meant. Acupuncture points can play a useful part in childbirth - for more information see here.

Making connections

Becoming a parent gives you a stronger sense of history and family connection.

I certainly find myself thinking more about both the past and the future. It makes you look at your own parents in a different light - and potentially gives you a better understanding of why they did or didn't do certain things.

One can but try to do one's best - and I daresay it won't always be good enough.

Tired and grumpy

There are many fabulous things about being a dad.

Going without sleep, listening to your baby screaming and having no time to yourself are not among them.

Other than that it's great!

Cot death research breakthrough

In the news today is a story about US scientists having found a link between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and brain stem abnormalities. The findings provide hope that future treatment might help babies who are likely to be vulnerable to SIDS because of their reduced ability to control their temperature and breathing.

Daniel's fan club

Daniel's already proving a hit with the girls and here he is with his newest three fans - Farrah, Gemma and Caroline, colleagues from the RSPB.

The scream of death

Getting things done takes on a whole new dimension once you have a baby. Simple things that you used to do in a few minutes can take hours. My rule of thumb is to allow three times as long as you did before - and hope for the best.

Under these circumstances, cultivating a reflective, zen-like acceptance of things as they are, sounds like a sensible strategy. How exactly you do so at three in the morning when confronted with a small screaming thing is an entirely different matter.

The vocal utterings of babies are specifically designed to reach parts of you which no other sound is capable of. Heaven help us if Daniel suffers badly from colic. This daily pattern of unstoppable screaming can go on for hours at a time. Apparently the word itself comes from the German 'karlech', which translates as 'scream of death' - nuff said!

In search of the big sleep

'Sleep while your baby sleeps' is a very good maxim - especially for mums recovering after childbirth.

One of the great things about being on paternity leave was being able to go bed at any time of day. Now that I'm back at work the 'paternal siesta' is a thing of the past. Thankfully, I haven't yet had to resort to crashing out on a nearby bench.

Still, today being Saturday it was like being on leave again - and after a bad night last night I think we earned a very late lie in. The other great thing about today was a cracking 3-1 win for my team - things are looking up!

Talking of toys

Naturally dads use babies as an excuse to buy new toys and kit.

Don't tell Liz, but I'm already planning a giant Scalextric set, with all the flashy pit stops and other extras that I didn't have with my modest, two lane, figure of eight track. Still, some things don't change, not least the enduring power of childhood heroes. You can keep Senna and Schumacher - I'll still be pretending to be Jim Clark!

Daniel is all of 21 days old today.

It's been a remarkable and eye opening three weeks, full of highs and the occasional 'oh my god am I ever going to get a decent night's sleep again?'

One of the great things about having a baby is the response of family, friends and colleagues. The house has been filled with cards, flowers, chocolates, toys and baby clothes. At work people I rarely speak to normally, stop me and ask how it's going. Everyone reflects a collective sense of joy, optimism and support.

Of course the 'babymoon' doesn't last for ever, but these first three weeks have certainly been very special. And he's making great progress. He was weighed yesterday and is now 6lbs (2.7kg), which is a very healthy gain on his birth weight of 5lbs 2oz (2.3kg). All that guzzling at the 'milk bar' appears to have paid off. He'll be measured for the first time next week, which will please my danish relatives who can't understand that we no longer measure babies at birth over here. Apparently they wriggle too much!

Being proud parents Liz and I have been avidly following his progress and noting those 'firsts' that parents always bang on about. I shan't bore you with all the details, other than to say that when he was born his Apgar scores (Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, Respiration) - taken at one minute and five minutes - were nine and ten, which is pretty exceptional. ;)

Children's TV - not what it used to be!

So Daniel may be too young to enjoy children's tv, but that doesn't stop his dad indulging in a bit of nostalgia. Here's the intro to one of my all time favourites. If you enjoy this look for the youtube clip of Mister Ed surfing off Hawaii - I kid you not!

Bargain home entertainment system

Here's Daniel enjoying his very own 'home cinema' system. For a few quid he gets a choice of twelve 'screens', a mirror to admire himself in, it's all completely portable and it goes most of the way around his Moses basket.

Who needs multiplexes and surround sound when you've got this?!

The milk bar is always open

Being breast fed, Daniel is fortunate to have food available on tap 24/7 - subject to mum being awake of course (and if she isn't he knows exactly what to do about it!). Dad's role in this process is somewhat limited - making encouraging noises off and supplying mum with tea, cushions and words of encouragement before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Hopefully we'll get underway with expressing soon so I can also do the milk thing.

The main thing is he's getting lots of healthy nutritious food - so there's no cause for Jamie Oliver to complain about his diet just yet.

Daniel's transport policy

Being something of an environmentalist, I feel a responsibilty to ensure that Daniel gets a good grounding in being a green citizen. So, where better to start than ensuring his personal transport has a minimal carbon footprint? The pram and the sling certainly pass the test.

As you can see, he occasionally has to do a few miles in his car seat - albeit in a relatively modest and energy efficient, family saloon.

If you want to do something about climate change - not least for the sake of children like Daniel, please sign up to the I Count campaign, co-cordinated by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition.

For more news about fun action to save the planet from global warming do take a look at my colleague Mairi's entertaining and informative blog - Climate Counts.

Daniel and the three bears

Daniel has already acquired three, rather special teddy bears.

The largest - bigger than Daniel - is getting on for fifty years old and is the one that I had as a child. The other two - a Steiff and a limited edition Gund - were both given to him by our dear friends, Paul and Liz (another of those coincidences).

It is thought the very first teddy bear was made in the US in 1902. The first Steiff bears were made later the same year and had their debut at a toy fair in 1903. For more about teddy bears see here.

Oh, and as you can see Liz's Sweep also joined in the fun.