Me and Mine {July 2015}

I am more and more grateful for this lovely linky, for encouraging me to take regular portraits of our little family, as we grow and change throughout the year.  And I think my photography is all the better for having the regular practice. 

It seems incredible really that we are at the end of July already, and that we only have five more of these shots to go before this year's Me and Mine is complete.  This month has been my favourite of the year so far; lots of happy family days, and confirmation of a new job for G, which will give us a lot more financial security, although it will mean that we will need to make even better use of our weekends now that he will no longer be self-employed and able to take a day off a regular intervals. 

I'm making the most of the opportunity to go outside and get some photos in natural light, with some lovely backdrops.  July's photos were taken on a recent day out to a lavender farm in the Cotswolds, and it was the first time we've taken the tripod out with us.



This second photo is by no means technically great; my hair is flying over my face in the breeze, F is busy trying to grad a handful of it, and M is pulling a typically cheeky face, but it's so us somehow.  It captures the slight chaos that goes with taking two small boys out for the day.

In July, I have:

 

 

* been astonished that my little boy turned four!  Where on earth did my baby boy go?

* loved a night out at Miyako Teppynaki restaurant with my lovely family

*been so proud of G, as he was offered and accepted a great job

*bagged some fantastic Next bargains for the boys, even though I did have to queue at 4.30am!

*enjoyed the first of several weekly Mummy and M dates at Thinktank, Birmingham

*loved a day out to a lavender farm, and having a cream tea afterwards

*riding the log flume with M at Gulliver's Kingdom

 

G has:

 

*bagged a fantastic new job, with a company on the up

*begun work on transforming the part of the garden into a little boys' playground

*enjoyed his first taste of Japanese food in Birmingham

*grown an itchy beard but then decided to shave it all off

*spending time with his family at Gulliver's Kingdom

*had fun exploring Tamworth Castle with his two boys

 

M has:

 

*waved goodbye to pre-school, and begun to tell everyone about primary school

*loved spending two nights in Nanny S and Granddad B's caravan

*had a really exciting birthday weekend, with a day out, and two parties!

*learnt to count to 100

*had an exciting day out on the train with Mummy to Thinktank, Birmingham

*learnt to say 'excuse me' when adults are talking

*had a few bad dreams and disturbed nights

*liked exploring the lavender fields

 

F has:

 

*enjoyed sitting with the other children at his big brother's birthday party

*loved the freedom that crawling has given him

*become obsessed with Ozzy the cat

* loved his new garden swing

*tried lots of new finger foods at family mealtimes

*learnt how to clap, wave, cruise, and cut his first two teeth

 



Mummy & M date number 1: an afternoon at Thinktank

 

I feel like time is slowly counting down to that date in September when I have to deliver my little boy to the gates to begin his school days.  It excites and scares me in equal measures, to know that he is on the cusp of such an exciting and hopefully happy part of his life.  He has so much ahead of him to stimulate his clever little mind, and will be influenced by so many other people than his immediate family.

I suffer from the well documented 'mummy guilt', brought on by the fact that I cannot spend as much time giving him my full attention now that I have two children to look after. I spend my days feeling completely torn between the two of them, and it's nearly always M, whose needs are less immediate, who has to wait. It's been getting to me a little bit, hearing 'just wait a minute', and 'in a bit' come out of my mouth as often as they have been lately, particularly since F is now mobile, and needs constant supervision.

With the long summer holidays upon us, I've decided to carve out some time each week just for M and me, when we can go somewhere fun, and do something just the two of us, like we used to before F was born.  So, I've planned six Mummy and M dates to look forward to.

This week's adventure was a pretty exciting one: we spent the afternoon at Thinktank in Birmingham.  I think the train journey would've been excitement enough for M, who was so enthusiastic about everything he saw along the way ('What's that, Mummy?' 'It's a cooling tower.' 'Oh! I love cooling towers, they're my favourite!'), and who made the other passengers smile with his sheer joyfulness and his lack of reserve in telling the lady opposite us all about where we were going and that he was starting school in September. 

There were a few grumbles on the rather lengthy walk from New Street Station to Thinktank (it was raining, and M was quite hungry), but when we arrived, he was captivated.  There were machines to watch, huge robot arms to control, water wheels, pumps and waterways to play with, a steam engine to marvel at, and so much more.  M is particularly interested in the human body, so was absolutely over the moon to find a model of the digestive system, complete with food moving through the intestines, and a button at the end he could press to make a poo sound.  That was right up his street!

Outside, in the garden there were more contraptions to have a play with, water to splash about and levers and handles to pull and turn.  He was in his element, and I felt like I could really concentrate on being the mummy I want to be to him.  We were both shattered when we got home, but I think we'd both reconnected somehow.

I can't wait for next week's adventure!

                             

                               

                             

 

                             

 

                             

 

Saying goodbye to pre-school

If the emotions of M's pre-school graduation day are anything to go by, his first day at school, this coming September, will have me taking out shares in Kleenex!

Leaving for the last day of pre-school

On the last day of pre-school, the children had a little ceremony in the primary school hall, where each of the 'Aunties' made a little speech, followed by the children going up to collect their scrolls.  It made me realise how much the staff really care for the little people in their charge, as nearly all of them were unable to keep back the tears. That in turn, nudged many of the already emotional mothers over the edge, so that all you could hear were sniffs and the rustle of mummies searching in handbags for tissues.

In a grump here because he had to put down the special balloon that the magician had given him earlier!

With Auntie Natalie.  He soon recovered his good mood once he was reunited with his balloon sword

It has only been nine months since M started at pre-school, but I think it has really helped him to learn how to interact with other children his age.  I've liked that there has been little emphasis on academic learning; after all, they will have the rest of their childhoods in the school system.  I'm glad that pre-school gives kids the opportunity just to be three and four year olds, and spend their time playing and socialising.  When M began at pre-school at the age of 3 years and 3 months, he wasn't interested in playing with other children that much, preferring just to play alongside them. Now, he actively seeks out the company of other children, and has made some 'best friends'.  I do hope that, as he goes into his school days, he can make a solid friendship group.  I think that is so important for giving children confidence and security.



                                     

8 and 9 month updates

To my baby boy,

Time has passed too quickly again, and I am very much overdue in writing your updates for your eighth and ninth months.

And the past two months have brought such huge leaps in your development!  The difference between you at 7 months old, when I last did your update, and you at 9 months old is astonishing.

Then, you had only just learnt how to sit up in a stable way, and you were still toppling over a bit. You were getting frustrated that, although you were mastering this incredible new skill, which gave you a new perspective on your world, you were as yet unable to move about.  By the time you reached 8 months, you were sitting beautifully, and not only that, you were lurching forwards onto your hands and knees in a bid to start crawling.  While we were on holiday, just before you turned 8 months, you were trying to escape the paddling pool that we were hoping you'd stay put in!

Here you are at 8 months old, on 12th June 2015.

Between turning 7 and 8 months, your sleep became quite disrupted, although that was partly due to getting a cold.  We began to see the start of a pattern of getting up at 5am, which still continues a lot of the time now you're 9 months.  You were not a very happy baby during this month, as separation anxiety really kicked in and you screamed whenever Mummy put you down or moved across or out of the room.  You certainly knew how to get attention, and found a shouting voice!

You started crawling a few days before turning 9 months, and got the hang of it extremely quickly. Just a few days after you first crawled, you pulled yourself up on the furniture, standing very sturdily and confidently.  In the same week, you learnt to wave and to clap your hands.  Your first tooth (bottom left incisor) popped through as well in the same week! 

We've suspected that you've been saying 'Hello' for some time, but it became clearer and more obvious this month, as did saying 'Dadadad'.  Now that you could crawl, Ozzy the cat's peace was over. You searched him out at every opportunity, and we have to be careful, because he's a bit of a grump and can scratch.

These next photos were all taken on 14th July 2015, two days after you turned 9 months.

You were enjoying your food, and were now more able to grasp food and bring it to your mouth.  When you were 9 months, you enjoyed sitting at the table with us at family mealtimes, trying a bit of most things we were eating, and also enjoying dropping food and then peering over the side of your highchair.  You were still breastfeeding about three or four times in the day and a couple of times a night, and were showing no signs of wanting to stop.  I'm happy to carry on for as long as you need to.

Nearly every day that we went out at this age, someone commented on your hair.  It really is the loveliest, funniest shock of white blonde hair I've ever seen on a baby.  It grows straight upwards in a Mohican, and just seems to be getting longer and longer and higher and higher.  It makes a lot of passersby stop, smile and comment 'Oh! Look at his hair!'.

Your favourite things when you were 9 months old are the TV remote controls, my iPhone (which you can spot from anywhere in the living room), Ozzy the cat, ripping up paper and tissues, and playing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat'.

You're a giggly, chubby, wriggly little bundle, eager to be off exploring, but equally loving tickles and raspberries on your tummy and neck. 

Love you, sweet baby,

Mummy x

Summer holidays bucket list

So, we're nearly at the end of the first week of the summer holidays. Our first summer holidays in fact, as last summer M was still at his childminder's and so he was cared for throughout July and August.

I am very conscious that these seven weeks are the last ones I will spend with M before he becomes enveloped in the next chapter of his life as a school boy.  And I want to make some memories while we get the chance.

There are lots of things I want to do this summer, both as a family, and also just with M.  Here's my summer holidays bucket list.

1. Go and visit some lavender fields.  I've always loved the sight and scent of lavender, and would love to see a real lavender farm, where you're surrounded by all the aromatic purpleness.  I'd love to get some lovely family photos of the four of us with the lavender as a backdrop. I think the nearest farm to us is Cotswold Lavender, but we need to be quick, as I think they'll be harvesting soon.

2. Visit Warwick Castle.  This is an amazing castle, and I'm hoping to visit again as a family this summer.  M is really into castles, and I think he'll love this one.  I'm going to see if we can use our Nectar points to pay for tickets.

3.  Spend a day in a beach hut. We are off to North Norfolk in early September, to have one last family adventure before school starts.  I'm hoping to hire a gorgeous little beach hut, something I've always wanted to do.  I have my eye on one in Wells-next-the-Sea

4. Visit Gulliver's Kingdom again. We had such a great time at Gulliver's Kingdom for M's birthday, that we bought return tickets at a discount, so we can go back again before the end of September.

5. Have a cinema date with M.  I think he wants to see the new Thomas the Tank Engine film.  He's gone off any films with a 'baddie' in them, so we have to be careful what we pick.

6. Go for a walk in Dovedale in the Peak District. This is such a beautiful part of the world, and I'd love to go back now that M is old enough to negotiate the stepping stones over the River Dove.

7. Have a picnic in the park.  There's nothing nicer than a picnic on a beautiful summer's day, is there?  Hopefully, the weather will pick up a bit to allow us to tick this one off!

8. Organise some playdates for M.  7 weeks is a long time to be without your friends, so I'd really like to organise for him to play with some of his pre-school friends and other little people we know.  I'm a bit nervous about more than one four year old racing round the house, though!

9. Enjoy some more family barbeques.  Our garden is a bit all over the place at the moment, as G is building a large climbing frame for the boys, but once that's done, it'd be lovely to have the family over for a barbeque.

10. Introduce M to gymnastics.  He's always practicing his yoga poses, and demanding that we watch him while he leaps all over the furniture, so the other evening, I took him to observe a gym class for little ones, to see if he thought he'd like to do it.  He was VERY keen, and I put his name on the waiting list.  In the meantime, I'm looking into some ad hoc classes that he can get involved in over the summer.

What's on your holidays bucket list this year?

#WickedWednesdays: Cake Fail, 15th July 2015

Tried to model Bitzer from Shaun the Sheep for M's birthday cake.  He ended up having a nasty accident with a cake pop stick when my patience ran out! 

My Two Little Brothers {Siblings: July 2015}

When you have a little brother, you have to learn to share.  Share Mummy and Daddy's time, share the limelight with the rest of the family, share your precious toys, and, of course, share ice cream.

 

We are right at the beginning of the process of learning to share.  M sometimes gets a bit worried that his wooden train set, so carefully constructed, will get dismantled and knocked over by his little brother (or 'F the Giant' as he likes to call him when he looms over his small world toys).  And sometimes there are little strops when F picks up a toy that M was playing with. 

 

But, if this month's Siblings photos are anything to go by, these two little brothers are off to a good start.  We were spending the day at Gulliver's Kingdom in Matlock, Derbyshire,  for M's birthday and stopped for an ice cream break before heading back home.  M offered F a lick of his ice cream without any prompting.  It was a lovely end to a beautiful family day, full of sunshine, smiles and kisses all round.