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Interesting questions which I have tried to answer below - and thank you for the very kind comments;

Undoubtedly, greyer fathers are a social trend that is likely to grow as the UK population is ageing we are told. How valuable is experience in raising a child?
I think it is true that greyer fathers are a growing trend, both first time fathers and, like me, second time around. As for the experience I had first time round ... I guess that was pretty limited. In the 1980's you left it all to your partner, more or less. And I am ashamed to say I did just that. So for me this time around is about getting involved properly, hopefully with a bit more patience .... oh and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a daughter after two boys - just wonderful. I know I am going to get twisted round that little finger.

Will a child raised in an environment such as yours be better equiped for the world than a child raised by "green" parents?
I'm not sure. My older two have done very well - despite their parents seperating when they were in their teens. I looked after them during the week which was a good thing for me, it stopped any traits of workaholism that I fell into and made sure I learnt how to cook and clean and take a full interest in their growing up. Will Rosie be better equipped, well all I can say is that her father will be around more, not spending all the time at the office - so that should be an emotional help.

Are there things you wouldn't dream of doing now that perhaps you did in the past?
Taking things and people for granted. Everytime you miss a day of them growing up that day is gone forever. So I think I am the luckiest man alive to have another go and to try and put right all the mistakes. I know I'll make cock-ups but then that is life. One other mistake I wouldn't repeat is listening to all the people who know how to bring up children, except that is for Gina Ford, what a revelation!

Domestic Bliss

Don't you find that sometimes a day at work is like 1,000 years. It takes an age to do anything - from logging into the network, getting anyone on the telephone, or even getting a cuppa. Today is no exception with a choked M6 motorway, tedious discussions about which department pays for what and mind numbing e-mails to deal with. So it is always fantastic to come home to Helen and Rosie, cook them a nice tea and er wash-up!

Reminding Myself about Babies

I had a moment of mild panic this morning. Rosie was standing by the bed and I realised just how grown up she was compared to just a year ago. Then she was all doubled up - having been awaiting birth in the breach position. I managed to attend the caesarian and can remember the midwife counting the fingers and toes afterwards. My first thought was that her fingers looked a little funny - until I realised that her feet were around her head as a result of her breach position in labour. Still it made nappy changing easier.

Now as Helen gets bigger its all about the new baby - what sex will it be, will it be breach, will H need a caesarian again, will it be born naturally ... and will the hypnobirthing work? Phew ....

It's good to talk

At what age do babies become toddlers and start to talk? Rosie is jabbering away right now with new sounds coming out all the time. She is a real chatter box and I think she said "Dad Dad" the other day in the garden - but I'm not sure. We both keep encouraging her to chatter on the phone, she loves phones but when you hand one over and it talks to her she just goes silent and starts pressing all the buttons.

I'm not going to e-mail the baby guru Gina Ford about this ... although you won't believe some of the questions she does get ... like "should I stop potty training my 23 month old son?" You have to join to the Contented Baby site to see the answer ...

I think this period of waiting for speech leaves me with two thoughts ... we take ages to get them to talk and then constantly tell them to be quiet ... and I wonder how much the phone bill will be when she "talks" to her friends on the phone?

Does TV rot your brain?

Is this post posing a daft question? In the 1950's when I grew up newspapers carried stories about television affecting young minds .... and periodically they still do. I ask this question because Rosie has taken to a couple of the shows on CBEEBIES the channel for young children. She is prticularly partial to "Teletubbies", "64 Zoo Lane" and "Balamory". But if I see PC Plum search for the perfect buscuit one more time I'll scream.

When Ben and Michael were growing up there just wasn't the range of programmes available as there are now - poor boys just had 4 channels to choose from and they all showed the childrens programmes at the same time! Mind you I can remember two things very clearly - first that they loved WAC "Wide Awake Club" and secondly my utter relief when they could get up in the morning AND switch the video on themselves - bliss! So is Rosie any different? I guess not ..... "Time for Teletubbies ..."

Staying AWAKE!

Just how good is Rosie? Everyone raises their eyebrows and groans at the thought of babies at 50 - because as we all know they don't sleep, and keep you up all night. Actually Rosie is great. I can't remember the last time I had to get up in the night to her (or Helen). When she was born Helen decided to do the Gina Ford method and how we all laughed. I mean how do you get a baby into a routine - well Helen did it thanks to Gina and I'm hoping that number 2 does the same.

Last night both me and H were knackered but Rosie wanted to stay up ... and up. We even took her out for a walk to try and calm her down. She eventually went off to sleep at 9 pm .... and slept until 7.30 this morning - and I thought we'd had a hard time! How lucky we are!!!

Staying Away

Just spent a night away from home with work. I can't remember minding doing this when I was younger - but I really hate it now. It was a beautiful spot up in Gretna Green in Scotland and today I was in Carlisle, just look at how wonderful the Cathedral looks in all its brown stone glory.

But no matter how nice the hotel or the company of peole you are visting nothing can replace the missed night with Helen and Rosie - there won't be many more left with baby number 2 due in August. Mind you after the new baby is here the gentle hum of the hotel room mini bar might be calling!

Baby Number 2

This is Michael - born in 1986 and number 2 child first time around. With number 2 on the way again I hope it is a different story to last time. Michael didn't sleep for the first 18 months of his life - he was a real nightmare. This much I know - if he'd been born first he'd be an only child. In fact the only way we got him to sleep in the end was putting him in the same room as his brother Ben. His big brother Ben was a dream - just like Rosie he slept through the night from about 8 weeks old and I thought this baby lark is simple - until Michael that is.

So this time around what will number 2 be like. I am the only common factor so I hope he or she is like Ben and Rosie - and not like their mothers!

Just Walking!

I can't quite believe it. Rosie has her first pair of "proper" shoes - a smart little padding around in pair. It's so easy to forget what it was like the first time around with her brothers 20 years ago.

Now she has her shoes Rosie is great at walking if you hold her - she is walking round the furniture and the kitchen cupboards - but won't let go. I'm waiting for those magic first steps, I know she'll be walking like Frankenstein with straight legs and arms outstretched but it will be a great sight when it happens. Our own little monster .... I better get ready to move all the breakable ornaments and put some padding round the jukebox.

A day off

Just taken the opportunity of a day off to go to Nottingham, as it happens on the day it was announced in the press to be the most crime riddem city in Britain. Well I didn't once get shot, stabbed, assaulted or even verbally abused - am I doing something wrong? Don't you hate the way people use surveys and statistics. last night on the TV we were told in an all guns blazing dramatic headline that a survey showed 26% of people in the East Midlands had tried cocaine - er, no actually. The survey showed that 14% of people had tried an illegal substance and OF THOSE 26% had tried cocaine ... so that's less 3.5% then!

Well thats me sounding off! Now I have done taht I am 45% happy ... and the trend is rising!!!!

The French & Irish cast

You'll see a picture of me and my Uncle Dan who is the last of my dads brothers and sisters living on the family farm near Timoleague in West Cork, Ireland. It is such beautiful place, the farm overlooks the sea and you can get an idea of just how fine the area is by looking at the website.
There is also a photo of me, Helen and Rosie with our "French" relatives in Kinsale in Ireland on holiday. Actually they are Helen's parents, Pat & Elissa who are from Ormskirk near Liverpool but have a house in France near the bastide town of Eymet in the Dordogne. If you click on the website for Eymet you'll see how wonderful the weather is - and the food, wine, scenery, people etc. So I wonder why so many Brits have houses there?
So why am I starting my 51st year still living in Leicester 100 yards from where my mum grew up - that is a very interesting question. I ought to show you where I've lived in those 50 years really - fascinating journey - and all within 5 miles of where I am typing this blog! But that's for another day.

Meet the family

I promised you a "cast list" - so here goes. Here is Helen just a few hours after Rosie was born by cesarean section (the next baby is being hypnobirthed, so she'll look even happier). Rosie is fast asleep in her cot at the moment giving me time to do this post and read the paper - I suppose there'll be another crisis to read about there usually is! Have you noticed how they never quite live up to it? Last week the local paper told us petrol was going to go up 2p per litre every week for two months - so far its gone down 4p! Still no journalists, no crises - now there's an idea!

Back to the cast list my two boys are a bit older than Rosie. Ben is 22 and runs his own disco business having done a business degree at University. Michael is 20 and doing American Studies at University in Sheffield where he stars on the student radio station on Monday evenings. Mike is off to Oklahoma University in America for a year - is it true that Oklahoma is America's most boring state?

Lazy Saturday morning!

This is me and Rosie out walking. We are alongside Courtmacsherry Bay in County Cork in Ireland - my father was bought up on the family farm on the other side of the bay. Today is an average Saturday, but still very special. Helen, my wife, is at work and it's my go at looking after Rosie. She's just great; wakes up at 7, has breakfast, we walk round to the shops to get a paper, take a quick look at Balamory on the TV and off to bed for 2 hours - leaving me to read the paper.

I don't remember it being this easy with the other two, and I think once there are two babies in the house after August my comfortable world is going to be shattered! If you are over 50 and have two babies I'd like to know how you cope? Providing you are not a celebrity and have a nanny to do all the work - that isn't the real world is it!

Tomorrow its the cast list ..... see who else is in on the McCarthy household.

Lets go round again

Now you have met Rosie ... lets go back alittle shall we? Back in the 1980’s when I was a dad the first time round it was so easy. Men were men - you knew where you were in Thatcher’s Britain. As a man you just let it all happen, stood back at nappy changing time and knew that even when you offered your services they would be politely refused. It was as tough you were born to be hopeless and helpless - at least I think that’s what she called me. As for nappy pins both of my boys quickly learnt to lay very still when I was folding a nappy and pointing a huge safety pin in the general direction of their groin.

When I went to the parent classes before rosie was born the other couples were looking at me and my wife and trying to work out what the connection between us was … perhaps, they thought, her man had run off and she’d got her dad to bring her to the class? In a very loud voice I made it known that I was indeed the husband of the poor unfortunate young creature, yes it was my baby. At least my wife was viewed with some pity, while I was seen as some kind of pervert.

This time we are hypnobirthing so tits getting even more scary! But more of that to come.

Starting again

This is Rosie May. She is brilliant - sleeps 12 hours a night, is really happy and is wonderful. But what father wouldn't say that about his daughter. Rosie is 14 months old and now I'm 50 I am just about getting used to the fact that in August she will have a new brother or sister. It's my own fault, but so far I am loving every minute of it.

I had two boys in my 20's and they have now flown the nest to jobs and university - so why am I time travelling to live my life over again? I got married again in 2003 and it has all just sort of happened. I am slightly terrified of the new arrival, what if they don't sleep like Rosie or have the same placid character - what if they are like their mother? And it is going to be so different to bringing up children in Thatcher's Britain of the 1980's .... or will it?

We went to a scan to find out the gender - but the little so and so was moving about so much the midwife couldn't tell. "Means it's a boy" said everyone - well alomost everyone - the others said "means it's a girl". Well at least they can't both be right. Can they?

Hope you enjoy the blog - i won't be offering advice but if you can learn from my cock-ups then that will be great.