Bloody Hell………I am so tired. Please don’t tell Heidi I told you that but I feel like doing a Rip Van Winkle impression and sleeping for the next 40 years. Last night was our first difficult one with beautiful Kye. Our daughter has been sleeping for 3 – 4 hours between feeds without so much as a whimper but last night all that changed………because she got something called colic………or to give it its Latin medical name “Screechingmaximus Nosleepius.”
She started to cry around 10 am and she continued to exercise her tiny but leviathan lungs until 3:30 am. And the reason I think I am so tired today is not because of the lack of sleep but the distress I felt for my usually so serine princess who suddenly looked as though she was fighting the most intense pain in the world. She would lay in her Moses basket drawing her knees up to the stomach during screaming fits and clenching her fists her tiny little head turning deep red. The only time she would stop crying was when Heidi fed her or held her tight. She would then fall asleep but once we put her in her cot again…….the tears and anguish would start flowing……and I joined her in those emotions.
Heidi meanwhile handled this as she does everything else …….calmly and with clarity of thought. Me?……..Well I headed for the internet to see what I could find out and that’s when I discovered the colic thingy. I also discovered so much conflicting information that I was very close to throwing my laptop and myself out of the window. Strict four-hour feedings? Or on demand? Should you put your baby to sleep in a separate room, or allow it to nestle next to you all night? One website even suggested that if the baby showed signs of colic then we should ignore the cries and eventually she would cry herself to sleep.
This article was written by someone with a heart made of pure stone. How could anyone with a beating heart leave any baby or child sobbing on its own in a darkened room?
When the first squeak emanated over the baby monitor, I would rush over and pick Kye up. And yes, Heidi breast-fed wholly on demand. Her reasoning? No baby is born with a Rolex on their wrist, therefore how on earth can they understand the “four-hour rule,” a rigid feeding sermon preached by the likes of idiots who think that babies need to fit in with their adult schedule, rather than the other way around……….bet they are vegetarians with beards.
What also made me mad was the fact that as I trawled Mr. Google for advice it was all written to Mothers and “their partners??” It seemed that “Dad” or “Father” was a dirty politically incorrect word………….what a load of bollocks. Once upon a time being a Dad was a pretty straightforward affair. You were expected to be the breadwinner and do something with the kids at the weekend. Dads in those days were figures who worked hard, put the bookshelves up and smoked pipes by the fireside. They did not read books about how to be a Super-Single-Divorced-Tough-Love-Dad; they did not believe that to be a good dad you had to heal your “inner wounds” or get in touch with your “feminine side.” Dads were just Dads…….apparently today…….they are an extinct species.
At around 1:30 am I thought it best to call the 24-hour hospital hotline for new mothers. So, I called…….and got a busy signal. There is nothing more annoying than getting a busy signal when you are desperate to speak to someone?
The other day I called my friend, Danny, and the line was busy. I think the last time this happened it was 1995.
Naturally, I assumed something awful had happened.
Maybe someone had broken in to his house and cut the line and eaten him. Maybe he had been in touch with his feminine side and while dusting had accidently knocked the phone off the hook.
It seemed incomprehensible that in this day and age, a busy signal would not be the result of some horrible mishap or accident. Unless you’re 80 years old, there’s no excuse for not having call-waiting.
After several attempts, I got through. Turns out, he wasn’t dusting or dead. He was talking. Once I discovered the absence of call-waiting was intentional, I expressed my frustration. His defense? “It’s honest. You know what a busy signal says? ……. I’m “fu**ing busy.”
As far as I’m concerned, call-waiting is a necessity. Like breathing and taking a Carnival cruise. It’s impossible to imagine life without it.
Plus, the beauty of it is, you can ignore it. You have a choice. If there’s someone you don’t want to talk to – you don’t respond. For the person calling, they get it – you’re on another call. If you were out, the voicemail would answer. These rules are understood. A busy signal is nothing but rude. It’s like being put on hold. I’m an impatient person when I’m trying to call someone but once I’ve reached them, I have all the time in the world. Except when someone keeps me waiting for so long that I forget I’m on hold because I have been hypnotized by Kenny Bloody G and his bastard saxophone. Then when eventually they come back on the line they sound surprised that I haven’t hung up. “You’re still there?”
Anyway, the National Health Service Hotline did not have call waiting and that’s not surprising because thanks to the UK’s current government I am surprised they can afford a bottle of aspirin and a rectal thermometer. Anyway, eventually I got through and after describing Kye’s symptoms the lady said “Yes, she has colic by the sounds of things.” So I asked if we should drive to the hospital to see a doctor……”No,” she laughed …. ”This is just to prepare you for the weeks ahead” and she laughed again. I hung up the phone and drove over to the hospital and found the nurse who had answered the phone and gently patted her on the arse…….”Why did you do that?” she asked …..I laughed and said “That’s just to prepare you for my foot going in your arse if you don’t stop laughing at my baby’s illness.”
Well, of course I didn’t do that and I know she was just doing her job. You see, she told me that Kye is healthy and this is common with many newborns and they may continue to be like this for many weeks. This morning I contacted our own doctor and Doc Ramitin was very helpful. He gave us some over the counter medicine and suggested Heidi cut out any citrus food and drinks as well as things like cabbage and garlic, etc.
So, eventually Kye slept from 3:30 am – 5 am and has been on and off since then. We have given her the medicine which judging by the face she made and the tears she cried was as tasty as me eating a pair of my own underwear……on toast…….and I doubt she will ever forgive us for doing so.
She is calmer today so far but still wakes up with tears rather than the smile we are used to……..and that makes me very sad indeed. She’s not ill and has continued to put weight on and has received glowing praise from doctors and midwives………but last night her Mum and Dad felt helpless, exhausted and personally………..I didn’t handle it well at all.
Lets do some questions………………here we go.
wil-da-beast Asked:
HI John (please reply) first of all, I’ve enjoyed the pictures and comments about Kye. Keep them coming. I can’t get enough. Your baby is BEAUTIFUL…..I’ve read the comments about the Carnival pins being discontinued and was so disappointed as I look forward to receiving them on each cruise and wear them proudly. My thought was to have them at the purser’s desk and the people who REALLY want them could ask for them as they do with the deck of cards. Then I read other people’s idea of selling them in the gift shop and that made me sound cheap, but giving my idea anyway…I will be doing the TA on the Dream in Oct. and excited to hear that Ken will be on the Dream, but I have to be in his dining room. Then I heard that you will be joining us in Bermuda and hope that is true. Then I heard that Jaime will be on the Dream for a few weeks. Please tell me that she will be there with us for the TA. Please confirm that 3 of my favorite Carnival people will be with us on this cruise. I will be so disappointed if I don’t have correct info. This is too good to be true, but it would be a dream cruise on the Dream for us if it was. Our best to you and your family. Regards from Texas…A&W
John if you have time in the next few days, please read an article that appeared in the Toronto Star on Sat. May 23 about cruising. It’s really cute. Please go to http://www.thestar.com and in the search engine type “Ashley Botting”. She’s the writer of the article. She’s been on a cruise ship working for the last 3 months as an entertainer; however, she doesn’t mention which cruise line she’s on. I’m wondering if you can guess which one from the article. Can you tell me if what she writes is true?
I hope you enjoy the article.John Says:
Hello Wi-da-beast
Thanks for the kind words. Kye is beautiful and last night it was so difficult to see her so distraught. I will as requested make sure that I keep the photos coming. So I just finished the article and it seems that this young entertainer/reporter has for the most part had a good time despite the fact that she twice refers to her cabin as a prison cell. I certainly don’t recognize any of the names she mentioned but I have to say most of what she has written is close to the truth while a few bits are certainly not. One thing that is true is that friendships and relationships happen much quicker onboard than on land. On a ship unlike ashore there is no “I will see you in a few days” after a first date. That’s because as big as the ships are, below stairs, you eat, work and play with the same people day in day out……so as you can imagine friendships and beyond happen at a furious pace.
She was also spot on about the crew meeting in cabins to say goodbye to friends. A crew member’s cabin is their home for six months and just as at home you do intend to invite friends round for a drink or two……..however on a Carnival ship, food items such as she mentioned are not allowed for hygiene purposes……….crab legs?…….she said crab legs? ………were brought to the crew cabin party…………..maybe therefore she is on Seabourn?
It will be interesting to see if she reveals what ship she has been undercover on so please let us know if that secret comes out.
Jaime will be on the Carnival Dream’s trans-Atlantic and I truly hope to join in Bermuda to ride the ship into New York. Ken will be there for sure so hopefully these are all things that will make this cruise your most special yet and of course………the ship herself will for sure give you goosebumps…………..she is amazing
Best wishes to you and the family
JohnCindy Asked:
Jane and Tom
JOHN, PLEASE REPLY:
When we were on the Freedom Mediterranean cruise in May, 2007, you had a lady singer that was absolutely fantastic. We are trying to remember her name – she sang operatic songs & had many a standing ovation. She sang songs from The Sound of Music in addition to songs from the Phantom of the Opera. Is there any way you can line her up to perform on the Bloggers Cruise on December 3rd? Again, what was her name – Lisa?? Comes to mind, but I’m not sure.John Says:
Hello Jane and Tom
Ahhhhh……..you are talking about the incomparable Penny Mathiesen. I will certainly see if we can indeed get her to perform onboard the Carnival Dream for the Bloggers Cruise. She is outstanding. What a great idea. I will put it out there right now.
Hope you are both well and see you soon
best wishes
JohnErin W. Asked:
Hey John – Please Reply!
Heidi looks amazing! and baby Kye is simply beautiful Thanks for the info on the Cruise Directors for the dates that I gave you. I have booked my cruise on the Dream; in fact I have booked my next 3 cruises for this year! I am going to be on the 2 day to nowhere from NY. I saw that the Bloggers Cruise starts when we get back and also noted that you were going to join the ship in Bermuda and sail with her up to NY. Does this mean that you will be onboard for the ride during the 2 day to nowhere and available for a meet? Or even before or after sailing? I would love to say hello in person!
Hoping to make Platinum Soon! – Erin W.John Says:
Hello Erin
I want to thank you for your continuing loyalty to Carnival and it looks like you have some brilliant voyages planned for this year. I will indeed be hoping to join the Carnival Dream in Bermuda so I can experience the sail into New York. I have not done this since 1996 onboard the Carnival Destiny. I will for sure be on the two-day cruise so it seems we are destined to meet.
Looking forward to seeing you and best wishes to all
JohnClair Asked:
Hi John, (Please reply…no rush)
Thank you for sharing the video of Heidi and Kye with us.
My husband and I just got off of the Carnival Splendor today, and I wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time!! I’ve been reading the blog thingy from the start, and just knew that I had to give Carnival another try (hadn’t sailed on the line since the 1990’s), and my husband never had. After talking Chris into the Splendor, I knew that I would have a great time, but secretly hoped that he wouldn’t spend the whole time comparing the experience to Princess or DCL (the two lines we usually sail on). Well, not only did he not do that, on the way home this morning he turned to me and said “what’s the name again of the next new Carnival ship? I think we should said on that one next year.” Yippee!!
I am now a huge Carnival fan, who has been talking non-stop today to my friends about the wonderful vacation we just had.
The staff on the Carnival Splendor went above and beyond. Brad seems to be a very gracious CD, and Matt (asst. CD), Owen and Grayson were all very down to earth and fun Social Hosts.
Thank you for helping to arrange a table for 2 in the dinning room. We really appreciated it!
I do have a comment/suggestion/question:
1). There was an unsafe situation that developed when we were all lined up for going ashore in Astoria. Two gangways had been set-up. The halls and stairs were filled with people, the all clear to go ashore was given (I forget the exact wording) but I was standing by one of the Social Hosts when it came over his walkie talkie type device, we inched forward and then everyone stopped. Another Social Host who was down mixed in line with everyone in one the stairwells yelled to everyone to turn around and go to the other end as this exit wasn’t ready. Well, when she did that, there was a mass rush of people pushing and shoving, and I felt bad for the older folks who got mixed up in all of this. I realize that the guests pushing and shoving caused most of the problems, but couldn’t there be a more organized way to get people off of the ship?
ClairJohn Says:
Hello Clair
Thank you so much for reading my daily mutterings these past two years and also for letting me know about your recent cruise on the Carnival Splendor. I was so delighted to hear that Chris had a great time and I certainly won’t be so unprofessional and gloat that he thought we his first Carnival cruise was his best…….oh bugger…..I can’t stop myself ……NA NA NA NA NA……….WE ARE BETTER THAN DISNEY…. M – I – C – K – E – Y – O – U -S -O – B……..bugger ………..spelt that wrong didn’t I?
I am glad you found the staff to be fun and I am glad the table worked out for you. Let me address your concerns with Brad and Duncan. I am sure this may have been one of the first calls to Astoria and it sounds like some guests did not listen and also that we could organize this a bit better. Information like this is so valuable to us and I know Duncan and Brad will be so appreciative that you took the time to write so we can improve.
I will send this then to the ship and they will also be so proud that you and Chris have decided that after your time on the Carnival Splendor to book a cruise on the one and only Carnival Dream
Best wishes to you both
JohnMelissa Asked:
Dear John,
Please Respond
Thank you for your checking saying you’d look a little deeper into why some ships wouldn’t be heading back to Cozumel earlier. Wondering if you had heard anything?
I also have a favor to ask. On our last Carnival cruise my husband and I were seated close to the entrance and couldn’t see anything that was going on throughout the night. I was wondering if it would be possible for us to be seated near a window. I have always wanted to be able to see the ocean while eating. If this is not possible I would at least like to be out in the middle where we can see everything around us. We are sailing Carnival Legend 6/7/09 Room # (Melissa) (Please don’t post last name). I would appreciate any help you could offer. Thanks! I hope you are having a wonderful time with baby Kye!
MelissaJohn Says:
Hello Melissa
I hope you saw yesterday’s answer to your Mexico question from our Senior Vice President Terry Thornton. If you didn’t here it is again.
“When the CDC issued a travel warning recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico, we changed our itineraries and eliminated our Mexico calls for departures through about mid-June. At that time, we advised all existing bookings about the itinerary change and offered the opportunity to cancel without penalty. If the existing bookings did not elect to cancel, they made this decision based on the revised itinerary information we provided. In addition, all new bookings for the revised itineraries purchased the cruise based on the revised itinerary. We now want to provide all of our guests with the cruise itinerary that they selected.”
If you have any follow up to this please let me know.
I shall certainly pass on this request to my mate the maitre d of the Carnival Legend who I know will do his very best to accommodate you as requested.
Have a fantastic cruise and my best wishes to you all and my sincere thanks for the kind words for Kye.
JohnSheryl Asked:
John please reply
I know that Carnival has stopped giving out the pins fleetwide because so many were being wasted. However, there are so many people (like myself) who love to collect them and will miss the opportunity. Couldn’t Carnival just have set up something that when a person books they would be asked do you want a pin or not? Maybe when they filled out their FunPass. If yes, it would be given. If not, none would be wasted.
Just a thought……..John Says:
Hello Sheryl
And…….it’s a great thought. I had a chat with our Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations Roberta Jacoby about this just a few days ago and all options are being considered. For now, we are working quickly on making them available in the onboard shops and at the same time finding ways to maybe distribute them differently as before when so many were wasted. One thing is for certain………I don’t think we realized just how passionate people are about the pins.
I promise to keep you informed and thanks for the great idea………watch this space.
Best wishes
JohnStacey Asked:
Hey John (Please Reply),
Just wondering how the next CD assignments for the rest of the year are coming along. Anxiously awaiting news…
Hilarious story about Kye’s diaper. I do child care for a living, and have changed more diapers than can probably even be counted…so my words of wisdom would be, “there’s plenty more of THAT to come”.
Oh, and the moral of that story is….there are times that you really should listen to your wife.
StaceyJohn Says:
Hello Stacey
I am glad you liked the diaper story and I seem to errantly smell of pee and poo ……… although that is not just Kye’s fault! I have the CD schedule here minus a few last minute changes that we are working on. However, I should be able to post it in a few weeks but meanwhile should you or anyone wish to know who is on what ship and when then please mark your posting for my reply and I should be able to let you know
Best wishes and a little bit of poo
JohnBeverly Asked:
Dear John,
please reply
Congratulations on the birth of yours and Heidi’s baby! Zij is Mooi!” Please don’t stop posting the stories.
Below is a letter I wrote to Skip Lyons CD on the Inspiration sailing May 14, 2009. Requesting clarification.
Dear Skip,
As a follower of John Heald’s blog I am extremely interested in the birth of his and Heidi’s 1st baby. He informed us his blog is accessible without charge on Carnival Ships. I inquired with the Internet Manager and found this not be the case on this ship.
If I have misunderstood John’s statement I apologize.
Thank you for your consideration in advance.
Beverly
This letter was left with the purser at the Guest Services desk the evening of May 14, addressed to Skip Lyons I was never contacted by Mr Lyons or his staff in any way.
I was curious enough as to the birth of your baby, that on May 16th, I finally broke down and paid to gain Internet access to check the status of the birth.
1. John, was I initially mistaken that I could obtain complimentary Internet access to the “Blog Thingy” on any Carnival ship?
2. I am very astonished after taking the time to write a letter on platinum stationary placed in a platinum envelope that I received absolutely no response during the remaining three full days of my cruise!
Thank you
Beverly
17 Carnival cruises and wanting more!
John Says:
Hello Beverly
I am so very sorry. Let me start by saying that I was wrong when I said the blog was free. I assumed incorrectly that because now www.carnival.com had free access in the internet cafes that my blog which after all is part of Carnival would be free as well …… but it isn’t. And I must keep my frustration about this bottled up …….for now.
I sent an e-mail to all the cruise directors asking them to please print the blog and place it daily……in a binder…and place the binder in the ships library. Many ships have done this but I guess in the case of the Carnival Inspiration it was not.
Then there is the question of the non-reply. Even if you wrote your question on the back of a post it notes, regardless you should have received a reply and quite frankly I am annoyed that this did not happen. Please therefore accept my apologies for this and I will address it immediately with Skippy.
I will renew my efforts to get the blog printed daily and placed in the libraries and I would ask anyone cruising in the next few weeks to look out for this and let me know.
Once again sorry for the misinformation and I hope you had a great cruise
Best wishes
JohnKathy Asked:
Hi John, Heidi and Little Kye,
John please respond. please.
Someone responded to a question about tips and said that the only people that worked for Carnival that DID NOT EARN A SALARY were the waiters and they only lived on their tips. Is this true, I find it very hard that everyone else on the ship is paid but the waiters.
If you could answer this for me so I can post it on cruise critic, I would greatly appreciate it.
Kathy
Btw, I love Kye’s name and could you tell me what it means.John Says:
Hello Kathy
I am hoping that the gentlemen who wrote these inaccuracies on Cruise Critic will write to me here on the blog so I can provide him with the correct information. Each and every crew member is paid a salary by the company………without exception. Now, in some cases such as the waiters and stateroom stewards those salaries are heavily compensated by gratuities from guests. This is an industry-wide standard and of course really not that different to a hospitality job on land. I am glad you took the time to ask and once again I hope Host Mach my mate will place this onto this bogus thread about tips.
Thanks so much for the kind words for Kye. Her name means beautiful ocean which is where she was conceived………..my name is John………….it means…………toilet
Best wishes
Toilet
That’s all for today. I just wanted to mention that yesterday I wrote on the blog that I would be joining the Carnival Freedom on July 20th…….oops………and bugger …. I meant June 20th………….sorry for the confusion. Anyway, as you know I answer any and all questions marked for my reply so please let me know if you need my help and as repetitive as it may sound thanks again to everyone who writes in.
On another note, do you remember our guest who is attempting to sail on all the Carnival ships in one year? Well here is an update on his remarkable journey………
TALK ABOUT BRAND LOYALTY! WASHINGTON STATE RESIDENT PLANS TO SAIL ON ALL 22 ‘FUN SHIPS’ OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR
William Filomena has his sights set on what certainly is a unique goal – sailing on all 22 Carnival “Fun Ships” over the course of a year.
Thus far, Filomena, is more than half way to his goal, sailing on 14 different vessels since his quest began in fall 2008.
Filomena has been on 29 Carnival cruises in total since June 2008, his first being a seven-day Carnival Spirit voyage to Alaska, which remains his favorite destination.
Filomena, who will sail on the trans-Atlantic voyage of the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream later this year, expects to reach his goal when he embarks on an eight-day Carnival Miracle cruise in December.
Filomena (second from left) is pictured here during his most recent cruise on the Carnival Legend with the ship’s Captain Vincenzo Alcaras and Hotel Director Guna Chellam (far left and far right, respectively) and Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill, who was on board for a meeting of the line’s Quality Assurance Committee.
Congratulations to William and I will keep you informed on his progress
Something certainly worth looking forward to is the totally unique double naming ceremony of the Costa ships Luminosa and Deliziosa on June 5. I will be providing you with a live link here on the blog so you can all share in this very special moment as we welcome two brand new sisters………..lets hope they don’t have colic.
Well just before I go to the Carnival Freedom I shall be hosting a big cruise convention thingy here in the UK. Here is an article about it and an award we just won
It should be fun and I shall report on it of course for you all to share……..oh by the way ………..the alleged quote in the article was slightly different to my answer. The question was “John, what is the recapitulating scenario that you find is the determining factor to the interactive success of your blog.”……….Well you saw the answer which was slightly changed by Vance from PR because my answer actually was……….”Well, I talk about my arse and how the French smell.”
I just saw photos of the new ultra small cabins on the Epic thingy. Oh ……. my ……. God ………it’s small………..100 square feet small. There wouldn’t be enough room for even small parts of me to get comfortable. The furniture looked like it had come straight from an IKEA outlet store……… and was as sparsely equipped as an Amish living room.
The big news here is that Heidi and I have decided to sell our barn conversion here in the Essex countryside. We have rented a house close to all our friends and my Mum and Dad and once the barn is sold we will buy a house in the area. So, next week, colic or not we shall be moving. It is just too remote and with me being away it seems stupid to have Heidi and Kye so far from everyone. A lot of people would imagine that living in the countryside is easy now that there are tarmac roads, no crime and no plague …. despite the thread written by the same man who said Carnival takes a percentage of the waiter’s tips….. you can’t be executed for being a witch.
Yes we have nice little souvenir Englishy-type village shops that sell antiques. But just try buying something you might actually need. They can sell you a teapot in the shape of a church and some locally grown organic cabbage.
But a packet of toilet rolls? Some hemmeroid cream? ………..nope……….and so Heidi has to drive 35 minutes before she can get things for my bottom. There are no banks or post offices and because there is no police station for many miles the locals tend to drive back to their farms from a night at the Queens Head pub……….pissed as a fart.
So our time in the country was short lived and it was a romantic one for sure but after Kye’s arrival we realize that its time to move back to civilization…….we will both miss it……..but my arse won’t.
Well, tomorrow is my Mum’s 70th birthday and in a few minutes I have to drive for two hours to collect my sister Suedrip from Heathrow who is flying in from Hong Kong for the special occasion. So, please join me in saying a very happy birthday to my Mum who remains the head of our family and who has survived everything life has thrown at her …. including my Dad’s post-dinner farts and having to change my diapers and wipe my arse. Happy Birthday Mum.
I am off to the airport and hopefully I won’t fall asleep at the wheel. I leave you with a photo taken last night at 2:05 am as Heidi shows yet again why like My Mum was for me……………..she will be the best Mother in the world
Goodnight
Your friends
John, Heidi and Kye
Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
What a beautiful picture!!! It shows so much love!!
I’m so happy that God gave Kye such wonderful parents.
Thank you for the most beautiful mother-daughter photo I’ve ever seen. It moved me to tears. Congratulations, John and Heidi.
John and Heidi:
I’m sorry to hear about Kye’s battle with colic. As our oldest (now 12 years old) had it, I can offer some advice that I hope will help.
First, our daughter Megan was helped tremendously with an over-the-counter medication called Mylicon. The active ingredient is a medicine called simethicone; I was told that there are no side effects and this is completely safe for infant use. PLEASE ask your pediatrician or pharmacist about this medication. We didn’t think it was helping Megan because she continued to cry (for a good 5 or 6 hours each day, typically in the late afternoon through the evening). We tried stopping the Mylicon, and she SCREAMED as though she was being tortured. Needless to say, we re-started the medicine and continued with it on an as-needed basis until the colic went away (after a few months).
Second, Megan was most comfortable if I held her in a “football” carry — belly down on my arm, her legs on either side of my elbow / upper arm, and her head supported by my hand. Make sure Kye has been burped before using this position, or else you might have another mess to clean up.
As agonizing as it is to hear Kye cry, please know that it will get better.
I wish you all the best in dealing with this. Best to you, Heidi and Kye.
Rick H.
Thanks so much for another beautiful photos of Heidi and Kye! I hope you all three of you will be able to sleep better soon.
Happy birthday to your Mum, John!
Melissa
Hi John, you dont need to reply just thought i would give you a little advise that helped me when i watched my grandson when he had colic, i would make a little warm water bottle for him with 2 large baggies (double bagged so it would not leak)(i didnt have a water bottle) and put it on his tummy when he was trying to sleep and it would help soothe his tummy, it really did help him alot, he had acid reflux so he had alot of tummy pain until he was about 6 to 8 mos old. I hope this helps your sweet baby girl. sherbear.
John, welcome to Fatherhood. I’ve been there done that. When your poor child cries so hard their face turns red and you can’t do a darn thing to help you start to cry with and for them. Your now a full fledged Father.
I’ve also went the other way. My granddaughter was once so sick in the hospital I thought she was dying. She was not crying or moving at all. Then all of a sudden she wakes up crying her lungs out. I just started bawling saying that’s the best sound I’ve ever heard. I will never forget that day I heard that cry.
Big Ed
Stunning. That photo is stunning. There are no other words for it. That picture defines ‘love.’
William Filomena is one lucky man!!! I wonder if he would like to hire someone to carry his luggage…
Foo. It appears we lost part of the article to the internet fairies. And it’s the part about you.
I’m still hoping that the gent from Cruise Critic who has such a negative view of how Carnival treats it’s employees will drop by and ask his question. Time will tell.
Here’s hoping that Kye is better and that you and Heidi can get some sleep.
Ciao!
Host Mach
John, Heidi may need to keep a list of what she eats, then if Kye gets the colic she can figure out what she has eaten that gives Kye the tummy ache. Sometimes the doctors suggest no chocolate, coffee or anything with caffiene
in it, definitely no spicy foods and onions, also no peanuts or fish in case they are allergic to those foods. Just a suggestion.
Happy birthday to your Mum. I hope you have a good time visiting with Suzanne and celebrating your Mom’s special day.
Today is my son’s birthday also. This time
49 years ago he was 2 hours old. Gosh that makes me as old as good old top soil………… maybe older……whew.
Thanks for clearing up the typo and letting us know you will join the Carnival Freedom on June 20th instead of July20th. You scared a few of us that have booked a cruise during that time in order to enjoy you as the CD. Right now I could use some of your humour. It seems to be taking me forever to get over this surgery.
I hope you and Heidi get some much needed sleep. Take a nap when Kye sleeps and maybe you’ll
eventually catch up on your rest.
Tell suzanne I said Hi.
Aunty Carolyn
John please reply,
We are getting ready to send you a package of things and was curious if you are moving where should we send the box or the new address? My gosh that is a beautiful picture of Heidi and Kye.
Big fans as allways,
Frank and Bridie
Poor little baby Kye. And yes, colic is indeed very common in newborns. I would have thought that the men with beards would have come up with some medicine for it by now. Hang in there!
Happy Birthday to your Mum!
John,
Only you can describe Colic and have me in tears from laughter. I’m so sorry for poor little Kye. I hope the medicine helps. I do remember that my sister had colic when she was a baby, now this was back in the 50′s – so back then, my mother would put my sister in her cradle and set the cradle in the other room while she cried, as my mother tended to dinner. After dinner and dishes, she would pick her up – today that seems so mean, but back then, that’s what mother’s use to do
The last day on our Pride vacation (May 10) we learned that our waiter Adrian is going to go to the Dream. How would I go about getting a table assigned with him? – Adrian is an excellent waiter!
Bless you all,
Debs
Happy 70th Birthday Grandma Heald. Wishing you many many more.
Pat and Big Ed Konefe
John that is an amazing picture of Heidi and Kye. As others have said welcome to fatherhood. I remember when are son was born the grandparents paid us to go out without him as we wouldn’t let him out of are sight nor would we let go of him. Now 5 years later we would love to pay someone to take him!!!! HA HA HA. Happy Birthday John’s Mum. Thanks for raising a great cruise director!
Big Fans as allways,
Frank and Bridie
Hi John (please reply)
We are a party of four brits from Manchester and we are travelling on the Splendor in Septmeber. We are really looking forward to this cruise, our first time with Carnival, but wanted some guidance from you regards dress code.
We have cruised with Princess and P & O in the past, but always out of Southampton, so a British crowd, and dress wise it has always been pretty easy to read, ie quite formal.
We have holidayed in the States many times, and always found it very casual everyone in shorts/casual gear etc even in restaurants in the evening, will it be the same on the cruise or do most people dress up? We like to dress up – but at the same time we don’t want to look prats by being overdressed!
Any guidance you can offer would be appreciated!
Congratulations to you and Heidi, Kye is absolutely beautiful – by the way, my son suffered really badly with colic, and Infacol always did the trick!
Here’s hoping you and Heidi don’t experience too many sleepless nights….
Thanks
Justine
Soon I’ll cruise aboard all the ships!
What a beautiful picture! Wrap Kye tightly in a blanket, hold her close, she will be nice and warm, that should help her feel better, that is what I used to do with my sons. It is so hard when you are new parents, but Heidi sounds like she has it all under control. Don’t ever feel bad about calling the doctor to ask questions that is what they are there for. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Hi John,
What an absolutely fantastic pic of Kye & Heidi. Since I don’t have children I can’t offer much help on the colic problem. I do hope it goes away soon.
Happy Birthday to your mum!!
Florence
oh my GOSH!!! what a beautiful photograph!!!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
Good Afternoon John,
Please wish you Mum a very Happy Birthday and give her an extra hug from Jack and I.
Heidi and Kye are beautiful and the colic “thingy’ too shall pass. You take care and give “Your Girls” a hug for me.
Joan
Hi John, Heidi and Kye,
The picture is absolutely beautiful and should be blown up and framed for the wall in your new abode. As far as colic, well my middle girl had it as well. She cried for 4 hours straight every night for 3 months. When she hit 3 months old it magically stopped. It didn’t matter what I ate since she was bottle fed, but I did have to change to soy formula rather than milk based. I too was give the mylicon from the pediatrician and agree that it helped some. Carrying her with my arm across her stomach (she facing out of course) also seemed to help. I don’t know if they tell you to put them to sleep on their backs these days, but sleeping on their stomachs seems to help with the pain as well. At least Heidi can sleep when Kye is feeling crampy. I had a two year old when my newborn began the colic and I felt like I never got any sleep. My husband on the other hand could sleep through WWIII. Hang in there, time will pass quickly and she will be just fine. Can’t wait to sail on the Dream and am thrilled to know you will be our CD again.
Hey John,
Susette beat me to it, but wrapping my infant son VERY tightly in a thin blanket …with the little arms in there + the green medicine (can’t remember the name as he is 28 this year) was the only thing that kept us sane.
Smart to move closer to friends & family as this colic can go on for awhile & they can be life savers, as well as sleep savers lol.
Happy Birthday Grandmum Heald! 70 years is quite a lovely number… I hear it’s the new 50.
Jan in Michigan
John (PLEASE REPLY–I thought I submitted this once, but my computer crashed, so forgive me if it’s a duplicate),
Thanks for the update on the CD schedule. Pending any changes/finalizations, could you tell me who the CD may be on the 11/29/09 sailing of the Glory? Thanks.
Recently on CruiseCritic there was a post by a person who had seen and envelope in the upper atrium on deck 7 right next to the mural on the wall right under a window on the Miracle. Then one person responded saying that they had seen the same thing on the Legend. Its just an envelope laying on the ledge of the atrium. It it no way it could have been placed by somebody because it is to high and you would think by the rocking motion of the ship and all that this would have fallen by now. I have a link to the picture that the person took. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=119079&d=1243382509
You might have to copy and paste that. It was just a very bizzare place for a envelope to be and just stay there. Here is the whole thread itself http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=993101
I just wondered if you have ever seen it or know anything about it. Just curious.
Hi John,
Sounds like you need to go back to work to get some rest! LOL I was fortunate my children never had colic, but I had many neices and nephews that did, and it’s really hard on Mum & Dad too. There were a few times I volunteered and walked the floor with them (and many a tear fell from my eyes too).
Sorry, to hear you are moving again so soon, but I am sure it will be better for Heidi and Kye when you aren’t there. And it’s always nice being close to Grandma and Grandpa. Best of luck with the sale of your home.
A very special Happy Birthday to a very special lady, your Mum! Wishing her many, many more!
Hello to Sister SueDrip too!
Hugs to Heidi and Kye!
John:
So sorry to hear Kye is having a bout of colic. Believe me, it gets no easier when they are in pain…whether they are 2 weeks old or turning 18 in July.
DJ is terrified of needles; so the simplest of bloodwork, like he had to have yesterday, just sends him into screams and tears.
For infants though…the worst part is that they can not tell you exactly what is wrong. You do indeed feel so helpless at times.
What a beautiful picture of Heidi and Kye. You are indeed blessed.
Happy Birthday to your Mom! I hope Sue has safe travels and your family enjoys the happiest of celebrations!
David is in Newark, NJ this week. Josh (our oldest son) is back at the university for the summer. He has a research grant working on an Alzheimer’s medication.
…so we have peace and quiet in the house!!! (well, except when I practice karaoke! LOL)
Linda ( Mom of your friend DJ)
Dear John and Heidi,
One word on the photo…
Brilliant.
Lance & Ilda.
PS… Happy Birthday to Mum Heald
Hi,
Please reply if you can. On the May 8th blog post you said you would be the CD on the Freedom starting June 20th but on the May 25th blog, you said July 20th. Which is correct? I will be sailing on June 20th and am excited that I might get to cruise with you!
-Allison
John, you look so happy as a daddy, never thought I would say that. But you have a beautiful family and we are all so happy for you. Kye is absolutely gorgeous, I asked Tay if she was a section baby because she is so beautiful, but I understand that Heidi had a very difficult labor and the birth was certainly no picnic, but you would never no it from the px. Life presents us such strange twists, but generally all works out for the best. Lots of love, Di
Also please extend warmest Birthday wishes to your Mum. Marmie is 90 now, doesn’t remember anything longer than 2 seconds, lives with us and we are fortunate to still have her. But mentioned you to her and she did remember you, thought you would enjoy that.
Hi John!
Happy Birthday to your mother.
What a fun year to sail on 22 ships. I am so jealous.
Its hard to believe someone gets busy signals but who needs a home phone line anymore? We just have it for the alarm and don’t give out the number (in fact my wife doesn’t even know it).
Love the Kye picture.
Take care and relax. All will be fine.
David
You don’t need to respond, but just a few things about your family. We have 15 grandchildren and all are beautiful…..but I have to say, Kye is one of the most gorgeous babies I have every seen. As you say, she must take after Heidi.
Regarding Kye’s colic, a friend of mine took drastic measures with a hair dryer for her colicky baby.. When the hair dryer was on her baby didn’t cry….at all. As a matter of fact, they went one step further and recorded the hair dryer on a cassette (that’s how long ago it was), so that they could just put the tape in and it calmed the baby down.
Don’t know why, but it worked for them. See you on the Dream in January….bring your dancing shoes. Dee
PLEASE REPLY JOHN
Good evening John, Heidi and Kye. I’m glad that you’re just being like any other dad, worrying about his precious child. Being colic will scare the heck out of you because there’s nothing that you really can do as a father but worry. Hang in there John, it will get better and better as time goes on.
I’m glad that Carnival is thinking about different ways of dealing with the pins. I want two of them please.
The only question I have to you is since you will be moving soon, will you be giving out your knew address? I’ve already planned on sending things to you, Heidi and Kye and all I have is your present address. If you don’t want to send it out through your blog could you send to me some how.
You are doing a fantasic job being a dad. If you want any questions just ask. Don’t forget, I have had three of them and I could write a book at all the things that I went through and I’m still living. Once my daughter and I were playing and I suddenly had a seizure. Not knowing what was going on, she said ” Dad, you want a drink of water? ” At that moment I couldn.t say anything so she thought that I wanted one and dumped a glass of water on my face. She nearly drowned me but she loved my way I was saying glub,glub and felt after that I appeared to be happier. These are the things with children and today I’m a happier man for my kids. Ciao my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
John: Thank you so much for the beautiful portrait of Heidi and Kye. They are both amazing.
I hope all of you will have a better night tonight and in the future. Hopefully, it was a one night thingie.
I would also like to wish your mum a most happy and healthy birthday. I do hope you, Heidi and Kye get to enjoy her for many years to come. I am also glad that you will be moving closer to your mum and dad for Heidi’s and Kye’s sake. It will be hard enough on all of you when you have to leave, so, they will be in good hands.
If you remember I was very unhappy that we were not able to go to Europe on a TA on the Freedom when it was decided the Freedom was not a good idea in Europe, we then booked the Liberty to do the Baltic cruise (with you as CD) and then they canceled that on us. We then booked the Freedom and it was canceled to go to dry dock. Well, I am most happy to say that we have booked the Miracle a few months ago, and, if you could reply as to who will be the CD on December 6, 2009 I would greatly appreciate it.
Again, I hope you all get some sleep tonight, and, please keep the beautiful pictures coming.
Marie
Marie
Oh what a beautiful picture. This will be one of Heidi’s favorite photos as Kye grows up. So sorry about Kye’s colic but most of us have been there. The difference is you get it. Never again will anything in life hurt you more than watching your child sick, in pain, or emotionally hurt. It is just the most horrible pain in the world and you would do anything to make it better for them!
Well, John….another funny funny blog….as usual…you know, I had lots I wanted to say and a couple of questions for you but then I came to the picture of Heidi and Kye….I have to say….I forgot everything that I was going to say….such a beautiful mother and baby pic! You need to put this one in a very special picture frame….
Happy Birthday to your mum!
Sea ya!
Edy
Opps, and Happy Birthday to your Mum!!
John, Kye is too cute!!
As for your name meaning “toilet,” well my name is feminine form of “Jean”, which is French for ” John,” thus making me a toilet too, but a GIRL toilet….
*LOL*
I hope the moves goes smooth.
Colic–have to held her draped her over your arm, tummy down–and tried that to ease the colic. My niece was the same way and the found that carrying her that way made it better…..
What an amazing photo.
john also have heidi cut out spicey and too much chocalte and theings that make u gassy what she eats the baby gets.but glad every one is good. in america we have gass drops for babys mylacon it helped my son he was gasy.and it just depends on what she eats some babys cant tolerate some things
Happy 70th Birthday, Mrs. Heald. May it be filled with love and laughter.
Ann
Hi John,
Try “Gripe Water” for the colic. It is sold in the UK in the chemist’s, off the shelf I believe (no prescription necessary). We can get it here in the States now, and I think someone in your homeland invented it. It is a liquid that is swallowed, and maybe even homeopathic too.
Also wrapping/swaddling tightly is supposed to help as well.
What a lovely photograph of mother and child!
A “photograph” elicits emotions…a “picture” is just a snapshot.
Thanks for all the “photographs” you have posted for our pleasure. Keep them coming each day.
My best to you all,
Jessica
Happy Birthday to your mom!!!! You know what it’s my mother’s birthday also!! My mother is going to be 63. She married when she was 17 and had her first child when she was 18. Suedrip; have a great time with your niece.
John,
That photograph is awesome. Kye will cherish that one day.
Please send our best to your mum. Many Happy Birthday wishes to her.
Lisa and George
Dear John, what a wonderful photo…a Very Happy Birthday to Mum…all the best to you Heidi and Kye.
Cheers, Ray & Deb
Heidi,
That has to be the sweetest picture I have ever seen of a mother and her daughter! I hope John has it framed for you for Mother’s Day next year! (Hint, Hint, John) The love shines in your tired eyes. I hope that tonight will be better for all of you. Many docs advise new mom’s to basically be on a very bland diet. Stay away from any and all foods that give you gas. Then, gradually introduce regular foods back into your diet. Only try one new thing a day and if Kye doesn’t act like it bothers her the next day, then eat more of it in moderation the next time. After a couple of days introduce another food and go thru with the same routine of waiting to see if she tolerates it well. You have to allow approximately 12-24 hours for the foods to come thru in the breast milk. Good luck!
Sheryl
Grandma, Grammy, Nonni, Nana Heald, (I am sorry but I don’t know which name you are going by.) I just wanted to wish you the very happiest of birthdays! And, welcome home to Sue–cute baby, huh???
Sheryl
What a beautiful family!!I just wanted to add my 2cents about the pins. I also collect them and do look forward to getting them. Beth
What a beautiful picture!
Happy birthday to your mom.
Hi John, Heidi and Kye
A beautiful picture of Mum and baby. It shows lots of love in that photo.
I can sympathize with Kye’s colic. My granddaughter also had colic for 4 months. She was inconsolable, except when Papaw walked the floor with her lying upright against his chest. She is now 10yrs and still is Papaw’s girl. Be patient, for it will mend itself with time.
Happy Birthday to Mum. I hope she has the grandest ever, afterall, she got a wonderful early present in Kye. Safe travels to Suedrip. Have a wonderful visit. Keep your chin up and hugs to all!!
Gloria aka Sue
Hi John!!
I think you should get this photo enlarged and framed. It is beautiful! Heidi will treasure it. Make sure nothing happens to the baby pictures. I would make a couple cd’s of them….. ohhhh sorry…. I’m sure Steph can help you with how to do that! =)
Happy Birthday to Mum! I bet it will be nice to have your sister to visit too!
Have a great day!
Stef
Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you John Healds mom, Happy 70th birthday to you.
John, Heidi, I knew you would be great parents. Kye is so beautiful. Please keep sending stories and pics, they are great as always.
May God bless you and yours.
John, Heidi and baby Kye,
the colic will get better. I have a home remedy that works great. 1 pinch of baking soda in 15cc of warm water with 1 teaspoon( 5 ml) of sugar added. Put it in a bottle or a syringe and feed it to Kye. This helps her to burp up the gas that is causing the colic.
I just loved the picture of Heidi and Kye. It is so powerful and moving. It shows a Mum’s love for her baby.
Happy birthday to Mum Heald! Enjoy your day sweet lady!
Happy Birthday to John’s Mum.
Please respond
Hi John – I had the pleasure to sail with you on our first cruise in 1998 on the Imagination and again just this past March on the Triumph. I had intended to attend the CC event onboard, but as I was traveling with my mother-in-law who required oxygen and some TLC – I never made it to the meeting. Hoping to sail with you again soon.
As to Kye – my daughter too had colic which I refer to as the 30 days and 30 nights of …crying. Until I discovered barely. Yep – boil barley and give her some barley water – it was like magic. My doctor suggested it either way she crys now from colic or when she’s 47 and you still wont let her date…LOL
Our next cruise is on the Spirit next Jan – info on the ports is hard to come by – what’s a person to do in Manzanillo?? Who do we contact toarrange a CC event onboard?
PS – always love the story about the lady on deck… in the wind.. with the hat
Hi John and Heidi
Its hard to beleive that something so tiny could cause such a scene.
John – Please tell your Mum for us happy birthday and Mrs Heald thank you for giving us John. He has away of bring the best out of people and getting them to enjoy life. Uncle Mike and Aunt Lynn
Happy birthday, Mrs. Heald and many, many more.
John, the picture of Heidi and Kye is so touching…brought tears to my eyes. I hope that Kye overcomes her colic as soon as possible…you could all use a good night’s sleep. All my best.
John, please reply….
Hello, John! We’re very happy that you already confirmed that you’ll join the Freedom on 6/20 instead of 7/20! We’re looking forward to have you again as our CD on the Freedom 8-day Caribbean cruise sailing from Port Everglades, FL on 7/18!
The 2:05 a.m. picture of your princesses is a keeper! That picture is perfect for a Mother’s Day card!
Now to the real reason why we would like for you to reply to us… Regarding Carnival’s decision of doing away with the past guest pins…. we join the crowd letting you know that we are very disappointed. Also, we noticed that Carnival has also stopped giving away logo items (for example: T-shirts, caps, tote bags, etc.) to past guests. On the 1/31/09 Splendor So. America cruise (we were on for 17 days – the 1st leg of that cruise) we didn’t receive anything…The same for the 1-week 4/25/09 Liberty Caribbean cruise… Nothing. Now, here goes a touchy question: Is Carnival also considering doing away with the Past Guests’ Cocktail Parties? The reason for asking is that we realize that Past Guests have been outnumbering the first timers… consequently, 2 parties – instead of one – were held on each of the above-mentioned cruises so they could accommodate everybody. Please advise…. we are just curious….
As always, thanks for your attention.
The Santanas of Miami Beach
The picture of Heidi and Kye is soooo nice. I agree that it should be framed.
Happy Birthday to your mom. Enjoy the day.
Jennifer
I laid a towel on top (i said top!!! not in!!!!) of the clothes dryer, and put my son on top of it. He stoppped the crying. Guess he loved the sound and the motion of the dryer.
What a beautiful baby! Mylicon drops work great for a baby with colic. It seems the hair dryer method works in different variations. We placed our infant in the car seat and placed it ON TOP of the dryer and turned the dryer on. The “white noise” and the vibrations helped soothe them. Don’t ask, it worked. You can also take the little one for a ride in your Range Rover. Probably the same idea, just don’t fall asleep yourself.
As Nanni so eloquently wrote,God picked loving wonderful parents for Kye. Moving them closer to family and friends will help give you solice. Good for you.
Happy Birthday to your Mom.
YOurs,
Kathie
Gorgeous picture! That’s a keeper for sure.
What a beautiful picture of Heidi and Kye!
Hapy Birthday to Grandma Heald and may there be many more to come. Jeri
Toilet, Please respond.
Some disagreement going on about HOW Carnival conveys what foods can/can’t be taken off the ship at the various ports.
My question is, Is there a standard way that ALL ships convey that message to the passengers. Or is it up to the individual CD to put it in the Capers, or discuss in the post talk, or in the port instruction, or simply at the gangway?
Signed,
Rona Barrett
Hi John (or should I say toilet),
Please Respond.
That was such a cute response to my question about Kye’s name which I think the meaning is perfect for her, she is as beautiful as an Ocean.
I have to admit I love it when you can answer questions people post on Cruise Critic that know one else can answer. Carnival has the rule that you can not take any foods off the ship unless they are pre-packaged or bring foods back on the ship after you have been in port. Well a thread started about not being able to take foods off the ship for a lunch, the person asked if you could or could not do it. I was surprised at how many people did not know that you could only take pre-packaged foods off the ship, so I got my Capers out and posted what is on the very back of it. What surprise me next was not all Capers have that warning, I thought that they all would since it is a policy of the Cruise line. So what I am asking is that maybe all the Capers could have this written where everyone would see it and even maybe print it in RED, that way it will be seen by the people who read them. Maybe they could also make some big signs that everyone would see leaving and returning to the ship. I think that would take care of a lot of the problem of people not knowing of this policy.
John, are you scheduled for any cruises on the West Coast of the United States in the year of 2010 or 2011. I would love to book a cruise sometime when I know that you will be onboard. Maybe you could do one of your group cruises on the West Coast. Also if you do one, I would hope that you could bring Heidi and little Kye with you.
Best Wishes,
Kathy
P.S. I love that picture of Kye and Heidi, that is a beautiful picture of both of them. Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.
Hi John, (please reply)
If there is ever a picture that needs to be download and preserved for Kye, when she grows up, it is the 2:05 AM picture. You have captured the love between a mother and child (priceless).
Happy B’day to your Mum !
Secondly,
Just returned from a cruise on the Miracle out of NY. This is our 4th out of NY on Carnival and I couldn’t believe the change in embarking. What a pleasure. They have dressed up the embarking area and are now boarding by deck. I did let many Carnival employee’s at the pier know that the changes were for the positive and they appreciated the feed back.
On to the ship, the Miracle’s staff is far superior to any cruise we have sailed on and we have sailed on 15 cruises (Carnival, Celebrity and Princess and RCCL). They were visible and always interacting with the passengers.
The food was the best we have had on any of the cruises.
For those who want to bring laptop’s onboard because the ship is all WiFi, using your personal laptop to go out to the internet has a very slow turn around time (eats your minutes), yet the computers that are in the library are faster than any of the other cruises we’ve been on.
Disembarking was the usual nightmare. I was curious as to why, so I asked one of staff at the gangway. The answer is Customs. If you taking your luggage off personally and are waiting in long lines, it because customs tells the Carnival disembarking staff when to let a group of people off and how many passengers. Customs is in charge, as they should be. While this is happening, the luggage in the halls that was picked-up the night before is being brought to the terminal, being cleared by customs and sorted by zone. Knowing this didn’t make the process go quicker, but it did help me to understand there is nothing that Carnival can do to speed up the process.
John, I’m taking this off – line. There is a definite problem with mold on the AFT 6 and 7th floor hallways. Room Stewarts may not be able to see it, but trust me it is there. It maybe lurking under the carpets ! Please get someone to look into this. Our two suites were forward, but we used the hallways to get from point A to point B and the mold smell was continuously there. Fortunately, the five of us don’t have allergies, but many passengers do and this should be looked into. Someone with Asthma could be sent into a serious asthma attack if one of their triggers is mold.
The best to you and your wonderful family !
McDee
A very happy birthday to the Mum, she must be a saint to put up with two Heald men at the same time.
Heidi and Kye look lovely as always. Sorry I have no advice on babies and diapers. When Donna and the kids came into my life the kids were already out of diapers.
Looks like William Filomena is proudly displaying his ship pins. Lets hope they hold back a few so that he can complete his collection. Something tells me that they will make sure he gets the rest of them.
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to youuu, happy birthday to John’s momm, happy birthday to youuu!!!!
Kye is sooooo beautiful, the first thing you need to do is remain calm as Heidi does, it’s said that babies sense your emotions, so if you’re calm she will calm down more easy, it sounds hard to do but it helps.
losts of kisse for Kye… Beatriz G.
Good Luck With the sleepless nights, as most of us have gone through them I(its Worth it)
Happy birthday MUM
Hello John, Heidi, and Kye,
As a seasoned vetran of babies with colic (2 girls, both started at 6p.m. and the fun didn’t stop till 1 or 2 a.m., and we both work, and no, the medication did absolutely nothing) please allow me to make some suggestions that worked for us (this all for free, and it took two children to learn this, you get a bargin!)
A birthing ball works best when the night is young and you are not ready to go to bed quite yet, bounce, and for us it acted like an off switch.
Get a good rocker and let Heidi sleep with Kye. I know some of the “professionals” out their say this is not good, but it works, and when the colic goes away in 6 or so months, (or 10 years, as Kye decides!) than you work on progressivly letting the child sleep by themselves (Heidi sleeps with the child untill they are asleep, and lays Kye down in her own bed, and Kye ALWAYS naps in her own bed). We did this with both girls and it worked like a charm, just don’t make it a habbit after the colic is gone!
Riding in a car works too, but the down side is, once you are done with the ride, it’s really hard not to wake the child while going into the house.
And finally the magic bullit, the foul proof, and totally unstoppable method that worked everytime . BEER, it worked EVERYTIME. We only employed this when we were both too tired to see, and all else failed. It usually took my wife two cans, but man, that child was as quite as an rccl (notice small case letters) dinner room after someone has asked for a free steak!
I hope these work for you as good as they do for us!
Troy
I know everyone seems to have a piece of advice. Just know that ANYONE who has ever had a baby has been there. We’ve ALL gone throught it and survived. Anyone who says their baby was a perfect angel and slept all the time is lying, or has forgotten what it was like!
Hi John,
What a wonderful photo. That is definitely a keeper – have copies made & put in a frame to take to whatever ship you’re on. And a wallet size, and one on display in the living room, etc.
I think the move to “civilization” is the right thing to do. As lovely as the countryside is, you do need to be closer to the necessities. And wish your Mum a very happy birthday for me. Is it just SueDrip coming for a visit, or her whole family? She’ll finally get to see her beautiful new niece.
Give her my regards.
Did you hear the news stories about the earthquake in Honduras? The epicenter was in the Bay Islands – Roatan. I know someone in my building who owns a small hotel there – her son runs it – and goes there several times a year to see her grandchildren. I hope they’re all ok , and any ships that may be in the area. I haven’t checked schedules to see which ships were doing the exotic Western itinerary. I know they cancelled the tsunami warning – good – we don’t need another Poseidon Adventure.
Hopefully the colic medicine will work and you can all sleep peacefully again. I know I can’t stand to hear a baby cry – I can’t even let Slinky meow without picking her up. I’m just an old softee.
Hugs to all,
Carol
beautiful photograph. Thank you for sharing something so touching. You, Heidi and Kye will get through this. Forget the whole feeding on a schedule and crying themselves to sleep bit. Follow your heart and you won’t go wrong. A child will not be spoiled by you showing kindness and tenderness in their time of need.
Dear John, Heidi and Kye
After reading yourblog with the nurse and your excapedes with the colic I felt sadnees for your lack of sleep and laughter for your timeless descriptions. However when I saw th epicture of your 2 beutiful girls I eas BLOWN away. That picture needs to be framed for preservation and hung in Kyes room. There is no other raw emotion ther but a true mothers love. I hope the medication is helping with Heidis Diet. I do recall John that there was a book about Colic in the pinata full of stuff from Big Ed’s crewe “tea party’, where ever it may have ended up… all of the previous suggestions are good as well. Please do not Heidi wear herself out too thin, perhaps she can pump some out so you can feed Kye a feeding so that she may rest some.
Please Take Care, all 3 of you
Special Birthday Wishes to Gramma Heald.
The Tuckers in Florida
Elizabeth & Arnold
John, please reply.
A recent blog posting of yours ended up on cruise critic and it was still not clear to some of us and I am hoping you could end a long running debate regarding auto-tips.
The CCL website states…
For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $10.00 per guest, per day (our recommended guideline) as follows:
$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services
$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services
So my question/s is…….At the end of the cruise using the auto-tip method from my Amex credit card,does the room steward get the whole $3.50 per day per person and does my waiter and the assistant waiter get the whole $5.50? Because your website uses the terms “Housekeeping services” and “Dining room services” and not the term “room steward” and waiter/asst. waiter respectively.
So, are deductions for the fee’s associated with an Amex card or other credit card deducted from the auto-tip and whether there are floor supervisors or chief housekeepers,ect also getting a small percentage from the $10 per day.
Thank you in advance
Steve
John, (please reply)
Just curious that there has been no talk of the boy who went overboard on the Fantasy last week or so. I am sure that you can’t say anything specific about the case but how about a few comments regarding how to keep passengers on board the ship?
John,
That’s a beautiful picture!
Happy birthday to your mother!
Sorry you must give up your country “estate” but guess it makes more sense to be closer to necessities.
Hello to Suze! Did the hubby and children come with her? Is this the event when the entire family is gathering to meet Kye as well as celebrating you mother’s birthday?
Best wishes to all of you,
Your pal, Myra
Dear Toilet,
Great picture and I am glad you have finally found out what being a Dad is all about. When they cry, You cry. When they laugh you laugh. You probably always wondered why parents always talk about their kids. Its because they become your whole world. Just glad we get to peek in.
All the Best and Happy Birthday Ma Heald!! and many more!!!
Cruzin2some
James & Nancy
John,
Precious pics of Heidi and Kye.
I’m sorry to hear of Kye’s distress. I don’t have kids, but my nephews and their children had this.
Make sure Heidi isn’t eating anything too spicey since breast milk can cause distress. I used to put my nephews in their carrier and put it on top of a running cloths dryer. The slight vibration, plus noise, plus warmth put them right to sleep.
Also, I would put the back of the recliner partially back so that the boys were laying on their tummy’s against the backrest. Seemed to cut down on any reflux problem which a lot of newborns seem to have trouble with.
Now, my great-nephews are here and one of them had problems with what we thought was colic, but then discovered was temperature regulation issues. Try putting a cap on her head and swaddleing her.
I wish you all luck and peace and hope that this all passes quickly
John,
What a sweet picture of your two girls! The look on Kye’s face just makes us want to hold and comfort her too but looks like Heidi is doing a great job at that. Our son had colic and we ended up having to give him medicine and put him on a special formula. Hope you find out what works. In the meantime our prayers are with you, Heidi, and especially Kye!
Mike & Lori
My cousin has been up nearly round the clock with 3 month old quadruplet girls. (no fertility drugs were taken). I’ll bet you are thinking yourself lucky with your one. Think of your little angel times four. The colic might not last for weeks….that is the thought that you must have.
Great picture of Kye and Heidi. And Happy Birthday to your mother.
Beautiful picture of Heidi and Kye. The colic does get easier…..try Gripe Water, it works wonders.
Happy Birthday to John’s mom! My hubby’s birthday is May 29th….he’s a young 57.
Cindy
Happy Birthday to your Mum!!!
John
I would like to say first of all what a beautiful baby Kye is. Your wife looks wonderful for just having a baby.
My son when he was born had colic also and is very stressful for the whole family. He is now 16 and I am taking him on his second cruise in 30 days.
I love cruising, and this is our first family cruise that we will be taking on the Inspiration to introduce my DH and cousin to cruising. After having an accident last week and emergency surgery, I am now depressed about the cruise. I love anything with water and now I wont be able to even get wet (pins & cast on my hand). I had booked excursions (swimming & snorkeling with sting rays) but my family will be going with out me! I will be staying on board with a DOD in my hand and wishing I was in the water. I know the pity pot is trying to swallow me whole, but I must remember I will still be on a cruise! Would love to cruise with you someday. Keep up the great job with your blog & being a wonderful father.
Happy Birthday to your Mum!
What an amazing photo of your two girls. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
That picture is truly beautiful and a touching tribute to mothers everywhere. It should be on a Hallmark card so that everyone can see it. You caught a very special moment and I applaud you.
My son had colic too.. and they gave him some medicine that actually made him hyper. It turned out that it had alcohol in it.. he stood up in his crib at 6 months and knocked out his first tooth that was only there for 1 week, so be sure no alcohol in the meds.
Happy Birthday to your Mum!
Have a great weekend and get some rest so you are ready for the next round.
xoxoxo,
Auntie Lori
p.s. Piano Ron came by our CC Roll call and introduced himself after I posted on the Roll Call on Carnival Connections about our Splendor cruise next week. Can’t wait to meet him:)
John, please reply
You mentioned having the blog printed and placed in a folder in the library. That’s a step in the right direction, but I believe it will be hit and miss as to the number of people who read it. There are way too many things to do on a Fun Ship and a trip to the Library may not be on mayn cruisers’ “to do” list.
My suggestion, if at all possible, is to insert a copy of the blog in with the daily Carnival Caper. I believe everybody would be in everybody’s best interest. A second suggestion, but I prefer the first one, is to have the tech people put the blog on the in room TV and on select TV’s around the ship.
Congratulations on the new baby and good luck with the move.
George & Dianne
I was sailing The Splendor back in July of 2008 from Genoa, Italy to Dover. You where the cruise director on the 7 day “Fun” cruise. I had enjoy your stories alot. Congradulations on your Baby Girl Kye! She is so cute and sweet. How is she doing now? Babies are so loveable and cute.
How old is Kye now? Are you going to be on The Dream in November? I’m plaining to go on The Dream with my mom this November for my birthday.