"Little Grandad"

ooh, look Mummy's got the camera out...

Oh, this is my new hat that Nan and Grandad Felix got for me.

I can see you mummy!

Cool dude!

French beret style

Can I have the camera? It's shiny!

Let's get this off again

That's better

Happy 8 months old today, Jaiden!

quick update

It's hot here. Well hot for us, and muggy and not cooling down at night. It's making me get back into my want to wash all the things phase again!

I soaked a bunch of JJ vests and bibs in biological washing powder (i usually use non-bio) and soda crystals (caustic soda). It was great, whitened the whites and got out the stains, including some that had been on there since the days they were used by Sophia! Tomorrow I'll be rummaging around to see what else i can soak!

I also made some of these breakfast burritos.
I did quite big tortillas and think i over filled them, but I've got six in the freezer and ate one today (I used less than the recipe suggested - i just did it with what i had). Next time i think I'll use smaller tortilla wraps, and put a bit less in, but what I've got in the freezer would be filling enough to eat one for a meal.

Uh, we're doing ok. JJ is now climbing stairs! This afternoon he followed Soph up and almost got to the top before i even realised he'd gone up. There's now a dining chair on its side to block off the entrance! He also likes to try to stick his arms down inside the toilet if he gets the chance. I'm sure he'll be walking before we know it....

we're here!

Soph's has tonsillitis and or hand foot mouth disease (a virus that is less that than it sounds!)

JJ's now most likely got a virus that's making his ears bother him (lots of ear tugging)

We're surviving as best we can...

A brief glimpse into our crazy

It's 9.13am. I'm watching a little bit of BBC breakfast news and information about the Olympics.

Sophia and Jaiden are playing with her singing microphone. Sophia loves it cos it makes noise and it's a microphone. Jaiden loves it cos it makes noise and rolls along the ground (other favourite toys - empty coke bottle, not so empty coke bottle (removed before it got tooooo shaken up!) an empty plastic beaker....)

It's pretty noisy, but they're both happy for now. Unfortunately we need to go and get washed and dressed and on with our day in a bit. I think we'll just stay here for a little bit longer and enjoy the sibling unity!

Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary

to my Mummy and Daddy. (Sorry, this was the best photo I could find!)

Time flies

However did these two

 grow up into these two? (And that's already nearly a month ago)

(And yes, it's entirely possible that Sophia's missing her trousers in that bottom picture,

cos that's how we roll around here. Or how she does, anyway!)
(This was Jaiden trying out the forward facing car seat for size, and he liked it, so that was that, it was his! We're currently using the one my parents bought for their car, in our car for Sophie. We really ought to get around to buying another!)

Seaside

The seagulls were circling round and diving for food thrown up by a lady on the beach below. I thought they made a beautiful picture against the backdrop of that sky

Cuddles

"I have to cuddle him, even if he's not so sure!"

Helping nana feeding Jaiden

You can't make this stuff up

A couple of days ago I walked into the bathroom, turned my ankle over (just like that) and made a big noise knocking myself and the towel rail to the floor.

Earlier today i stubbed my toe on the same foot, running upstairs to get Soph a top to wear.
 
About an hour ago I was coming in from the garden to look after JJ while my mum took soph upstairs to poo "I need a poo-poo" is not a statement to be taken lightly! Earlier soph had done a wee, and then, for reasons known only to herself, she'd tipped the potty out on the path just outside the back door. I hosed it down a bit and thought nothing more of it. But coming in quickly, I slipped on the wet patch, landed on the kitchen floor, banged my knee and made the pain in my ankle and toe considerably more.

Ow

Jaiden

language is a funny thing

There are some words and phrases Sophia uses that I want to record here for posterity.

"pic-mick" instead of picnic

"That's mines" when something belongs to her

"Going on a wenture". I think that I've posted that on before - Sophia's pronunciation of the word adventure. I think that'll probably stick around as a family word, cos I use it too now!

"I lost you" Which is what she says if she sees something or someone that she hasn't seen in at least five seconds

7 months and counting

Jaiden turned 7 months yesterday. I think the last month has been a total growth and skills explosion.

In the last month he's started eating solid food (actually that started just over a month ago, but he's really got the hang of it now!), started crawling and perfected his methods and about a million things inbetween.

He can now blow raspberries (and enjoyed it so much that he did them on me when he was supposed to be nursing!) and this morning he and Soph were having a raspberry-off (taking it in turns to do them at each other!)  And it was wonderfully sweet hearing him copying Sophia growling (like a lion/dinosaur - I think it was open to interpretation!)

I have a million photos which I will endeavour to get uploaded to the computer soon. We took Jaiden to meet my maternal grandparent's for the first time and we went on holiday with my parents for a week. Hence all the being not-here. I really want to blog a bit more, cos it's such a good way to remember the little things.

(final random thought - isn't it a bit silly that blogger's spellchecker doesn't recognise 'blog' as a word?!)

Photos, or not

I really wanted to post some photos, but I have no idea where my camera lead is. I'm hoping Menard will know, but he's still in bed.

Photos coming soon, hopefully!

Sadness and Confusion. It's hard being two

We've spent a few days this week with Debbie, who flew in from Texas on Tuesday. She's been staying at my parents house, but my mum's had a very buy week, so although we were over there 3 times, we only saw my dad once, and my mum not at all.

The first two times we arrived at my mum's Sophie said "where's nana?", I told her nama was at work and she looked sad and said "poor nana". The third time it happened she didn't even comment, just shook her head sadly.

We dropped Debbie off at the station on Friday and all the way home Soph was asking about the train, and where it was and where it was going, and she kept talking about "the other mummy". She obviously remembered that Debbie and I shared a name, but she'd forgotten which name it was!

Costochondritis and Concussion

The pain I've had for a few days in my shoulders, neck and back, along with a headache was getting worse not better, and I developed a cough. Yesterday I realised that the pain reminded me of the pain I had back in 2008 when i was fighting infection after infection - costochondritis.

Oh and then after my appointment with a doctor this morning (who said yes, I think so, and gave me anti-inflammatories) I went for a walk with my mum and the kids and a couple of other folk at Forty Hall and managed to walk into a tree branch and give my forehead a great big whack. And I've been a bit dreamy and out if it and generally feeling rough, with a big fat headache too. Think it's only a minor concussion, but that was enough.

sleep oh sleep

JJ and Sophia have both had a cold for a few days, and I stupidly tried to eat cauliflower (and curly kale) on Wednesday evening to see if JJ could cope with them (going through my milk, to him). Previously it gave him nasty wind, but I was hoping now he was older he'd be ok. All of that has resulted in crazy days and crazier nights.

Last night JJ slept from 8.30pm to 4.50am. Result! Maybe in the next week or two I might manage to claw back some of that lost sleep, though I'm not pinning my hopes on it!

A few days ago Sophia found a ball of tangled, screwed up hair. The sort of thing you might find in the shower after you wash your hair, or after you've combed out a child's plaits.

Anyway, she said "my hair!" and brought it to me quite distraught. She wanted me to help her to put it back on her head! I had to take a very long time explaining to her that hair grows, but then when it's getting too old it falls out and new hairs grow to replace them. She was eventually comforted, and allowed herself to put the ball of hair in the bin.

Jaiden is getting very good at moving himself around the room. He's not yet crawling, but he can turn himself about 180 degrees or more by moving himself with his arms. And he's very good at rolling, you never quite know where you'll see him next and he can move in a blink of an eye.

The other day he was lying in the middle of the room and Sophia got her push along car (which she's really getting a bit big for, but enjoys all the same). She started pushing it in a circle around JJ. He was so excited and desperate to see her and what was going on that he started turning himself around in a circle, following her all the time! I'm sure it won't be long before this litle guy finds how to get up on his knees, and then we'll be in for it!

Yum yum, hm, maybe?

JJ started eating real food on Thursday. It was sweet potato. His face was a picture. (I did take photos, but didn't manage to capture that particular expression. Also, the photos are still on the camera, so I will upload them later).

He's had it twice now. He had 6 or 8 spoonfuls the first time, and the second he had 1 1/2 ice cubes worth, I'd say (I cook it up, freeze in ice cube trays and trasfer into a bag once they're frozen. That makes small portions easy, and once he's eating more it makes it easy to mix flavours, taking a cube or two from a couple of bags).

His general opinion seems to be that he's not totally sure of this sweet potato thing, but he'll keep trying this eating thing cos it might get better!
I've not cooked anything else yet, but we have some bananas, so I might try some of that today, or might stick with the sweet potato. With Sophia I gave each food 3 days before I introduced a new one, but I was wondering about doing 2 days this time around. With Sophia I recorded it on the calendar so that I'd remember. I don't currently have one for this year, so... anyone know where I can buy a calender in july?!  A diary might do instead!