Welcome Nevlin Clifton Hartnell

We now know why Nevlin (AKA MacGurkie) waited so long to arrive - he wanted to arrive on the exinox. Good thinking Nevvie!

True to form, Nevlin chose the (late) evenings to make a move.Our midwife was not available that evening so midwife Caroline stepped in. Our student midwife, Sarah, also came to help. They played good-cop / bad-cop. Sarah was very encouraging while Caroline cut through all that to tell Liz straight up - No, you have to try harder than that! Sounds harsh but the routine was very effective. 

Liz had a hard time and a labour that lasted a long time. I'll mention two moments. First, Liz got an IV to recharge her liquids - the total change in her complexion and whole person took just minutes, with the mood of the room changing with it. Second, I'll never forget the change from just before the end to after Nevvie's birth - wow, what a difference a birth makes.

The final score showed Nevlin at 7.5 lbs, 52cm/21". Apparently, he is the exact average weight for Australian babies but is long. In fact, Nevlin likes to be as long as he can by stretching himself out as much as he can.

Now at home, Nevlin gets to wear, sleep in, and play with all the gifts people have sent. He's happy as a bug in a rug, as you can see. Check out those Aussie style blankets Liz's Aunt's family made for him.

Boosha (Liz's mom Mary) is also very happy. She's been a big help with everything and made the start a lot easier. We're also having a lot of fun together - a nice bonus!

If you are wondering about the name - Liz came up with Nevlin herself while trying to avoid a similar name her husband came up with. Clifton is the name of the ship that brought part of Cameron's family to Oz. We rather like it.

We're very happy here at Chez Hartnell. Nev is a good boy who does pretty good sleeping through the night - with the necessary feed stops, of course. We're counting our lucky stars and looking forward to what's ahead. Thanks for everyone's well-wishes, we appreciate all the love and support.