Peeping out from under piles of washing

Seriously, will it ever stop?! Every day this week I have put in a load of clothes, and done my best to get them dry (no dryer, raining all week) and just about managed to get the rest on the dirty stuff to fit in the basket. But without fail, every morning there have somehow magically appeared out of nowhere enough stuff to fill a load without even touching the full basket that's still there from the day before.

But other than that minor issue, we're doing well. JJ's getting longer and is now sleeping in the big cot cos he outgrew the wicker crib he had at first (the one which I slept in as a baby, and my mummy did before that!)

Sophia's had a growth spurt too, I'm sure. I watched her washing her hands at the bathroom sink* the other day and realised she was reaching for, and getting the soap, and this was without standing on the little step box that I swear she still needed to use, just the other day.  Some days I think we're making progress with potty training, other days not so much. I resorted to bribery with chocolate buttons, but I'm not sure what next now the packet's empty!

* She loves washing her hands. Not obsessively, don't worry, but I'm sure, like many other kids her age, she could play in the water for hours. She also sings her own little version of a song from a program on CBeebies which is called 'I can cook' which goes like this...
"Roll up your sleeves, and give your hands a wash, with slippy dippy soap, splish splash splosh. Have you done your hands? Washed and dried? Sleeves rolled up? Apron tied? What can you do? I CAN COOK!"

Random snippets

(What did they do to my blogger?!)

A text I sent my family yesterday... "Decided I would give my yeti legs some attention. It was rinse after every swipe. They're a bit red now, not sure if I'm a bit allergic to the cream I used, or they're just embarrassed from all the attention"

Happening right now - Jaiden's lying on the floor. Sophia was tickling his tummy and he was laughing like crazy, then she was showing him pictures in a book. Now she's got a blanket and has covered him up and told him to go to sleep cos it's bed time. Jaiden, however, thinks it's all hilarious and continues to giggle and squeal with delight.

dum de dum

I'll do my best to write some posts with real content soon, but I keep doing them with a baby in my arms, and that makes typing slower and it's easier to just post photos!

Jaiden isn't the only one who gets to enjoy the bouncy chair!

This rug

It's very special to me that I can remember playing on this rug when I was a little girl, and Sophia and Jaiden got to enjoy it too when we visited my Grandad. (Sophia is the one holding the book in the top right)

Reading

We love books around here, whether reading to your brother, with Nana or to your toys, it doesn't matter.

Double trouble

Jaiden LOVES Sophia and she's pretty keen on him too (so long as he doesn't stop her getting cuddles/biscuits etc when she wants them!). I have a feeling they're going to learn to team up to cause trouble any day now!

The generation game

The few days before Easter we went to visit my grandad (dad's dad) to introduce him to Jaiden and a re-introduction to Sophia. We well and truly interrupted his quiet life and gave him a little taste of our chaos! (Soph had just woken up when I took her photo, so she wasn't cooperating)

1002

This is my 1002nd post apparently. Missed celebrating 1000, so we can celebrate this instead :D

I am poorly poorly sick. Have been for two weeks now. Think we're on the up now, and if I can only keep on resting and sleeping as much as I can, I might be better by Christmas. No, seriously, by the end of the month?

(This is a from fair few weeks ago, but cute all the same!)

"Sophie cuddle, mummy photo" - I did as instructed!

You're never too young for the 'eat your hand' game

Why does he only chat when I'm not filming?!

This is a bad bad film - my hair features and JJ keeps kicking the computer, but I'm leaving it up cos it's cute in a silly way

another triangle mouth

Don't know what expression i'm pulling here!

No, there's nothing new on facebook Mummy

2 months 2 days

About five seconds after taking these I realised JJ had done his favourite trick of pooing while sitting in his bouncy chair! (the blur on the left of the second picture is his big sister moving too fast to be caught by a simple camera!)


(This blog seems to have turned into a photo blog for a little while, but I'm sure noone's complaining!)

Just hanging out

Sophia moments I want to remember

Old McDonald according to Miss Sophia "Farmer had a farm, ear ear oh! chick chick chick"

Yesterday she went swimming with Nana and Nana left her glasses in the shower afterwards and they had to go back to get them. Last night Sophia reenacted this event several time with her bear, and they also swam around the room.

Sophia's pronunciation of teddy bear "teh bear".

On Wednesday I bend down to pick something up and misjudged the distance and ended up wacking my head on the wall so hard that I saw stars and cried a bit. Sophia was very concerned and climbed into my lap to hug me. She said "shh shh shhh it's awlright mummy" (Which is pretty much what she and I both say to JJ at least ten times a day!)

Right now Sophia is sat on the floor with a bear in her lap watching 'Show Me Show Me'. When it comes to 'show me show me your groovy moves' she stands up and dances along with the presenters, and getting bear to dance too.

Oh, one more
"Grandad Jog, has some men. Couldn't put it together again. When they're up they're down"

Siblings

Sophia, once she got over her initial unsureness of Jaiden, has become a doting big sister, and JJ just loves getting his sister's attention.

As I type (on Monday morning) the two of them are on his play mat. Jaiden's lying down staring up at his big sister, and Sophia's got a pot and spoon from her play kitchen, and is pretending to feed him (I told her she mustn't actually put the spoon in his mouth but just 'tend).

Earlier this morning Jaiden was crying (I was changing his nappy and clothes). Sophia ran to get a tissue "sad eyes crying wet" she said, and wanted to mop up his tears.

I'm enjoying watching their relationship develop.

Photos to follow soon, once I've located the lead for the camera!

one, two, three, all present and correct

Feeding Sophia vegetables!

Sophia loves fruit. On a daily basis she'll ask for 'suma (satsuma), pear, waisins (raisins!), apple, and more! She won't always get all of them (since I don't really want her pooing all the time), but she gets a fair amount. But she is not a good vegetable eater. She loves baked beans, but not much else, oh apart from potato and I'm not sure they really count.


A couple of recipes I've tried lately, which include a hidden vegetable serving have actually been a hit.


First, carrot and courgette muffins as seen on children's tv program 'I can cook'. We made them together, with even more carrot and courgette than the recipe asked for, and she enjoyed them. The first time I made them I used brown flour and both times I cut out most of the sugar. She actually seems to like the ones we made with brown flour better than with white! (the cooking instructions on there are a bit confused. I'd do mini muffins for about ten minutes at gas mark 4/180C/350F)


Next a breakfast bake. It's got egg, which we've recently discovered she's really into, and sausage and I was able to hide stir-fried onion, cabbage and leek in with the sausage layer and she wolfed it down.


Finally an invention of my own, or my own variation anyway. Take a tortilla, spread with tomato puree, grate on carrot and courgette and add grated cheese on top. Stick in the oven for a little while until cheese is melty and delicious. The cheese hides the fact that there's veggies on there!

Any more hidden veg suggestions gratefully received. (I know everyone does the classic blended veg in sauce thing, but she doesn't really like pasta or rice! Sometimes she'll eat soup, if I'm lucky!)

Jaiden smiles

Little moments

I've got Jaiden lying on my lap on a cushion and Sophia just came over. She bent down and said "noses!" and rubbed noses with him. He closed his eyes (I think cos she was so close) but I swear I also saw a smile on his face. Now his eyes have stayed closed and Sophia's brought a blanket over to cover him up. She makes a lovely, if sometimes over enthusiastic, big sister.