Dear James.... (part 2)

You are now 1, you have started the second year of your life!  I hope for you that it is as fun and full of learning and changes as your first year was.

I thought I would take the opportunity to record some James details and perhaps share some pics from your little birthday party.

You weigh in at just over 9lb or 1 stone 4.  As your Aunty Ali says - quite the arm work out.  As you enjoy to fly through the air either in a  swing or pretend plane or pretend drop by us it really is quite the arm toning session!

Cuddles with Fat Bert

You stand at 72cm tall.  We measured you last night and marked it on a door, a new tradition that your dad and I will do every year around your birthday and subsequent siblings too.  We shall have quite the collection in 20 years time!

You have an amazing 11 teeth, the last 3 all molars have come through in the last 3 weeks. Ouch!  You enjoy brushing your teeth but we have to distract you with another toothbrush so we can actually do the job properly.

You crawl very well now and can get up quite some speed when it suits you.  Your standing and walking get better day by day. You enjoy heading up and down the hallway with your walker and have a great smile on your face as you manoeuvre up and down, though woe betide anything or one that gets in your way as you just ram it or them until it moves or we move you.

You love the bath, in fact you love the bathroom.  To the point that you cry if we remove you.  Soon you will learn that parents need some private time in the bathroom and it is not a spectator sport....!

You understand the words push, arms (when getting dressed), cuddles and up. Cat is probably a favourite word and they have learned - very quickly - how speedy you can be now you are crawling.  Sadly neither have realised there is an escape route open to them, the back door, and for a couple of evenings recently you and Toby have been back and forth up the hall and into the lounge while he thinks he can hide behind the hall curtain and on the lounge windowsill while you follow and see him immediately.  Poor Toby!

We have all enjoyed celebrating your birthday this weekend and you have been blessed with some thoughtful and generous gifts.  You have played with them all and seem to find them all equally interesting, though the bath ones are probably high up on your list.
Your dad and I were overjoyed at all the noisy ones you received and are sad to say that we may not have batteries in the house for the next few, well, years...!

We headed out to The New Forest Wildlife Park on Friday and took a slightly chilly stroll round all the animals, you enjoy watching and chatting to the otters and we managed to stroll round the deer park without one stealing anything from my handbag this time!  Our afternoon and evening were pretty chilled out but we did sing Happy Birthday to you while you wondered why we were making such a fuss!

A homemade James sized cake

Unsure about the candle!

But happy to eat the cake

At the last moment, while doing paper plates and napkin research I decided we'd go for The Hungry Caterpillar theme for your party on Saturday and set too purchasing appropriate plates, cups, napkins...  Having done a little research on Pinterest I decided to theme the food towards the food from the book too.  The end of last week saw me whipping up various batches of cakes and doing a slightly peculiar shop in Sainsburys!  But it was definitely worth it, I was very proud of what I achieved and our guests were very complimentary.  I think that maybe you were impassive to the most but the balloons you did enjoy batting about for most of the weekend.

The table

Our family!

Happy Birthday my love and here's to another wonderful year,

Mumma xx

Dear James... (part 1)

Dear James,

You in your first few moments

How strange it is to be writing a letter to you.  One short year ago we had no idea whether you were going to be a James or a (insert girls name, ours remains under wraps in case you have a little sister one day) and now a year later it is as though you have always been here. 

We are now a beautiful family of 3.

Your dad and my life has changed in so many ways; we now get excited if we're asleep when the clock has a 7 at the beginning to name but one! 

During your first year...

We have moved to a new house, many of your nap times I spent packing up books and kitchenware and then unpacking because I needed something I had already packed...  As we were moving it made me sad that you will have no memory of our old house, your dad and I have many fond memories there, it is where your dad proposed to me and the house we brought you home too when you were 2 days old but I am sure one day we will drive past and share the stories with you.

Your dad has changed job and now has a very poncy job title, Deputy Head of Commercial Development, and I have had a promotion too.  I have gone back to work and you have settled well into the new routine that involves nursery and childcare from your Granny C, you also get to spend a day with your dad which I think is great for both of you.  I think you have fared best with this new arrangement, lots of attention all for you while I have felt torn with work, keeping house and looking after you and your dad.  It is more because I like things to be just so and it has been a big change but we are all getting there! I definitely value my time with you 100% more now that it is more limited.

We have taken you on 2 holidays! The first was to the Isle of Wight where you experienced sand and the sea for the first time, you were fascinated by the sand and non-plussed by the sea.  Your dad and I took you to lots of different places.

The sea

The sand

And the wallaby

The second was down to Granny C's "van" in Highcliffe.  We had a great week, we took you to Monkey World where you loved watching all the different species moving around and we took you "swimming" most days.  We fed the swans and I indulged in some knitting and cake eating while your dad managed to read the paper!

We shall go to the latter a lot more over the next few years and I hope to provide you with occasion to make many happy memories.








Thank you dear boy of ours for enriching our lives, we love you so very much and look forward for every year to come as we watch you grow and learn

Mumma xx

One chapter ends and another starts...

...This weekend see's the last of my time with James as I return to work.

We've just spent a week away in Highcliffe (photos are from the week) and starting tomorrow all 3 of us have to find our feet with a new routine involving 2 working parents, though I will be doing 4 days rather than 5, James is off to nursery 2 mornings and then my wonderful mum is helping the bulk of the childcare.

Saying hi to the gibbon at Monkey World

I have been dreading this day for quite some time, partly due to my hours at work being more than I had hoped for, partly because my head is full of how to fit all the day-to-day things in; the washing, the cleaning, the ironing... and partly because it's just all change.  As for most of us, change is a bit scary.  

A quick paddle in the ocean

For me the whole going back to work thing is a concern; how will I fit back into my ever increasing team, based across 4 sites, how will I pick up all the processes that have changed etc.
For Pip, he has to negotiate work and childcare now, he is also in charge of nursery drop off on a Monday and a Wednesday, on a bike, lucky guy!

Testing out the slide

James, is in for a whale of a time really and is the one who I am least concerned about in many ways.  He is off to nursery to play for 2 mornings a week, he'll be staying for lunch both days and has a menu that I quite envy and then it's off to Granny C for the afternoons.  As Granny C has now uttered the immortal "You tell Granny what you would like and she'll buy it for you" on a trip to Kiddicare, it's safe to say she is firmly wrapped around his 10 month old little finger...  (thank goodness he couldn't understand!)

Napkin?  What napkin?

Playing with the onions today...?!

 So moving forward I become a working (yummy?!) mummy and we will continue along our journey as a family of 3, possibly with the help of a cleaner ;o)

Photo taken by The Cole Portfolio.

40 weeks in, 40 weeks out

This week marks the 40th week of James being with us as a living, breathing (crying, laughing, splashing, moving) child.

What a learning curve of a 40 weeks it's been...

Currently each day brings something new, mainly at the moment the distance and speed in which he crawls.  

We have happily moved away from 3 clothe changes a day post each mealtime (him and me) to a little boy happy to sit in his highchair and have his mouth open, something akin to a small bird, and happily be fed whatevers on the menu.  Rice cakes are the most. amazing. food. and he can pack away a weetabix and a half in the mornings.  This boy's food bill is going to get expensive!

I've tried to put together pics roughly from each month.  I find it fascinating to look back on how he has changed.  Most noticeably from being a newborn is the hair, gone are the dark locks, replaced by a healthy covering of blonde hair.

James now has 7 teeth, the eighth is slow to make an appearance but to be honest a few weeks of restful sleep is what we all need! 

After a lengthy debate he crawled for the first time last week and in the 7 days since has increased in speed and length, so the stairgates have gone up today!

So far it has been a tremendous journey, one that we definitely underestimated for both the good and the bad reasons and as we are only 40 weeks in who knows what the future brings! 

A few days old

About a month old, in a 'grow that looks huge!

2 months old and a bald-ish baby!

3 months old and the wrinkled forehead of surprise still lingers

4 months and those big brown eyes make most melt

5 months and enjoying food purees

6 months old and banging anything an everything is the way forward

7 months, teeth can now be seen, sitting up is old news and the cute really kicks in

The number is a giveaway but 8 months old, stretching ability is beyond anything previously witnessed

9 months old, after 2 months of thinking about it you finally crawl!

5 months in

When I started this blog it was to document my pregnancy (/pregnancies, another one, or two, is now an option).  Now life has settled somewhat I am missing writing it so I think I will keep it up though more sporadically.  It may well become; musings of a new-mum, still effected by baby brain, less baking as the child does not agree with sleeping during the day blog....

I have now had well over 2000 views of this blog, which is rather overwhelming and kinda cool at the same time!

I know every parent says "I don't know where the time goes" and now it seems Pip and I can join them.  5 months?  How is that possible?

Our boy now has 2 teeth, through at the same time, no, it was not much fun for all three of us.  Just as we had settled into almost going through the night we had 3 weeks of hum-dingers, where J slept less than he did when he first arrived.  Ye-ouch.

Thankfully he now gives off cuteness in waves, so that 7am-ish breakfast feed where I have required matchsticks and a large coffee, are now met with a smiley shrug of the shoulders after which the 2am, 3am and half 3 "put the plug back in" runs then the half 4 rock him off to sleep, are forgotten.  Just.

Yes I took a pic of him in a nappy, it's a weird parent thing...

I am trying not to think about the amount of nappies we have changed (Pip has done more than his fair share) or feeds that I have undertaken or the amount of crying/screaming/yelling we've struggled through but instead concentrate on the fun stuff.









Noises, babies make the most amazing noises.  J has an endearing noise that replaces a laugh, which he seemingly cannot do just yet.  Or it starts as a laugh then digresses to this noise.  He regularly chats to himself, us and the toys.  All different tones and sounds, lots of raspberries appearing in the last week or so.  We also have lots of straining noises which aren't the actual event, which he has no trouble doing...  Not going to lie the first couple of times these occurred we were in the car, unsure if there was likely to be follow through and kicking ourselves for not packing a spare outfit.

Cute....?

Cute, my son is cute.  I know I am biased but people actual stare at him and smile (clearly when he's not going postal), one old lady told me he was beautiful the other day (proud mum smile appears).  Embarrassingly not all the time J rewards these looks with a smile but what we have nick-named "the death stare" an unblinking, eyebrows slightly raised stare.  Boom.  It doesn't waiver.  It's quite impressive.  It starts to feel quite loaded when you are trying to get him to smile or chuckle (namely at granny C, the look doesn't budge), I'm quite glad he can't talk as I dread to think of the possibilities that could accompany the look...!

...I rest my case.  Also in the best toy ever...

At the moment we are trying to encourage a roll out of J, without much success.  We jingle/jangle toys, give him a nudge in the right direction, give-up and just roll him to give him an idea of what to do and still nada.  It's getting a little funny now.  He is, however, a kicker; on his bouncer, on the floor, in the bath, pretty much anywhere his little legs and punching up and down.  We've recently purchased a swimsuit, of sorts, so we can see how successful all this kicking is!

Part death stare - part permanently surprised look

My Mother's Day gift

Taken this morning, 5 months exactly.

21 days later!

3 weeks have now passed since James's arrival and they have flown by.  In many ways it feels like much longer, mainly down to the small cycle that my boy has I think.

Doing my best "Benjamin Button"...

We all seem to be coping okay so far; James is fed, changed, entertained and put down to sleep, Pip and I remain alive, fed and watered and also manage to get some sleep - despite several helpful "you'll never sleep again's" from various folk pre-James arrival - just what any future parent needs to hear...

Hanging out with Daddy

Today J has been weighed by the health visitor and has put on a beasty 12oz since last Thursday making him 8lb2oz.  We now don't see the health visitor until early Jan but can attend the drop-in clinic at the local surgery on a Monday for a weigh in if we want too before then.  Something I must remember to go to.  Sadly baby brain appears to be hanging around still and unless it's written down I do not retain anything!

"Ma, would you put the camera away already..."

Keeping a track on visitor's has been fun with pen scrawled all over our calendar at the moment!  We have had a steady stream of visitor's but still have a way to go to complete the list.  James put on his best show by vomming over my cousin Nik last week, I am not sure who was more horrified Nik or me...

With cousin Nik

So far we have managed a few trips out; lunch w Granny Sue, a wander or 2 round Sainsburys (nappy run), into town to register James birth to name a few.  Most have involved a small battle with the car seat and James arms which seem to disappear in his bear coat, I may have also had a discussion with the pram wheels - which way round do we open them?  Which way round do they go in the car?  Thankfully we're getting there, James is helpfully uncurling so his arms are easier to find and I have managed to suss the pram out, Pip - chief wearer of the baby carrier - is pretty much there strapping himself into the contraption.

Boo?!

This week we received the photo's from the newborn shoot we booked in several weeks ago.  Sadly James managed to bawl his way through all but the entire 3 hours Abi was with us, however it seems she somehow managed to work her magic and below are a few of the pics she snapped...