Z is for Zip in and Zip Out

I'm sure you heard that Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William, had their third child last week. By all accounts, she zipped in and out of the hospital quickly as far as these things go. Kate entered the hospital around 6 am and 5 hours later she delivered a healthy baby boy. She went home a mere 7 hours later. And some time during her short stay they introduced the new baby to the crowds waiting outside.

And Kate looked beautiful. Granted, she is a beautiful woman to begin with. Granted she had her hair and makeup done by a team before she went out. But she looked perfect and she was wearing heels! I don't know how she did it.

After I gave birth to Wally, I was totally wiped out. It had been a long, induced labor, but nothing out of the ordinary. I stayed in the hospital a couple of days as we tend to do in this country, longer than they usually do in Britain. When it was time to bring Wally home we carefully strapped him in his new car seat and I rode in the back with him while Ward drove. We had a fairly short drive I think, but I don't remember. What I do remember is that I was exhausted and not feeling great. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I went into the house to lay down.  On my way, I asked if Ward could get Wally out of the car and deal with him. I had to lay down. No ceremony about welcoming the baby home. Just an exhausted mother, a proud father, and a crying baby.

Newborn Wally

So when I think about that experience, there's no way I could have done what Kate did. Even with a whole team around me like she had, I don't think I could have faced the crowds. I don't think I could have worn heels. I don't think I would have been ready to leave after 7 hours even if I had been going home to a household of helpers. I just don't think I could have zipped in and out like she did. But who knows? Maybe she didn't feel like doing it either, but she's a royal and that's what you have to do.

Q is for Queens and Princesses and Royals Update

Royal Baby is Born!

Recently, I talked about the fact that Ward didn't know that Kate, Prince William's wife, was pregnant. This amazed me because I didn't think you could filter this information out because it seemed to be everywhere. Well, some how he did as well as a few of you. Some of you said to let you know when Kate had the baby. In case you've been able to also filter out the birth. Here's the facts.

Kate delivered a baby girl Saturday, May 2, 2015. The baby weighed 8 lb 3oz. The name is not yet announced. 

USA Today

Details and Commentary. 
More than you may want to know.

--Kate delivered the baby three hours after she entered the hospital. All of the press was saying that she had a three hour labor. Well, maybe. Most people know that you can be in labor for a long time before you go to the hospital. I'm guessing that Kate had medical professionals around her before she went to the hospital, so who knows how long she was really in labor. For her sake, I hope it really was short and sweet.

--A few hours after the new princess was born, William brought the big brother, George, to the hospital to see his sister. He is as cute as ever and has learned to wave politely to the crowds. His training to be a royal has begun.

--The crowd outside was anticipating an appearance by Kate after they saw her hairstylist enter the hospital. Sure enough, about an hour after that, Kate emerged looking beautiful with the new baby. The baby is taking after her mother. Newborn perfection of a perfect chubby face.

--Also, Kate walked down steps in high heals while carrying the new princess. William attentively gave her a hand, but she didn't need it. Really, is she still numb? Aren't there some areas that still require some walking gingerly? I know I still had some after a few days, let alone a few hours, with both a vaginal and C-section births. I would have never been able to walk in heels like that just after giving birth. But then again, I have never been able to walk in heels like that anytime.

--Kate gave birth Saturday morning and she and William took the baby home that evening. They buckled the baby in the car seat and drove home. Just that easy. Well sort of, security was everywhere and they went to the palace instead of where they're really going to live 100 miles away.

--The name has not yet been announced. Alice, Charlotte, and Diana are favorites with the bookies, who by the way aren't doing as well as they hoped because more people bet on the baby being a girl than a boy. I'm not too excited about the name because the royal babies always have a long string of official names and then the parents call them whatever they want.

--More details will emerge in the next few days. If anything earth shattering happens, I'll update you. However, now it's time to let a young family to get to know each other in private.

BTW, Miss Landers informed Ward of the blessed event. He reacted to the good natured teasing he got about missing the boat on this one too. Actually, he might be kind of proud of it.

Q is for Queens, Princesses, and Royals

Okay, I admit it. I follow the British Royals. I'd like to say that I'm not interested in such an unimportant thing, but that wouldn't be telling the truth. I don't know if it's because they are a fairy tale come to life or if it's just because they have way better clothes than I do, but I read most of the stories I see about them.

I can tell you that Princess Kate (or Duchess of Cambridge, I think) shocked the fashion world when she wore panty hose during her trip to Canada. I can tell you that Prince Harry has served in Afghanistan and his father might be Diana's groomsman. I can tell you that the Queen rules the family with an iron hand and likes brightly colored, tailored suits. I can tell you that Camilla has always been Prince Charles's love and that he champions environmental causes. And I can tell you that Kate is due to have her second child any day now. Which brings me to my story.

The other morning Ward and I were eating breakfast. He was checking his work email to see what disasters were waiting for him when he made it to the office, and I was watching one of the morning news shows. At one point, the show did a teaser about how the hospital was preparing for Kate's imminent delivery. Ward poked his head up and said, "She's popping them out really fast, isn't she?" I know he didn't follow the details of the royal life, so I said, "You don't mean a third child, do you? She's only on her second." I proceeded to question him and found out that he had no idea that Kate was pregnant and ready to deliver the second in line to the throne. Not that he didn't know when she was due or whether or not she had morning sickness this time, he had NO idea that she was even pregnant.

And here's why I found that so amazing. This man can tell you every world situation and the backgrounds behind them. He can tell you the latest medical study and the pieces missing from the research. He can you about every presidential hopeful and their views on important issues. All of this means, that he does pay attention to what's going on in the world. It amazed me that somehow while he was paying attention to what was important, he hadn't noticed the constant stories about Kate's pregnancy. He said that he wasn't interested in that sort of thing. I totally understand that. What amazes me is that he was able to filter out the stories totally. (OK, maybe not totally. He did know who Kate was.)

Are there any others of you out there who didn't know Princess Kate is pregnant with her second child?
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And as long as we're on the subject of royals, a book recommendation:

The Uncommon Reader: a Novella by Alan Bennett

The is a fun little story about the Queen after she borrows a book from a bookmobile in front of the palace. That book leads to another and she starts reading a wide variety of books that change her views on life and the world. I don't know if the descriptions are correct, but it also gives an idea of what it must be like to be a royal and always on display.