Summer 2015

Finding time to post is getting harder and harder. I can't believe my last post was back in May and now we're in August already! Summer is now well underway here and we're enjoying lots of trips to the British seaside, family days out and planning for our future.

In June we went to Crete for our first family holiday abroad. I don't relish flying at the best of times so this was a big challenge for my nerves, especially now I have our little pickle to worry about too. I'm very happy to report that H absolutely did us both proud on the flights there and back, spending at least an hour of the journey asleep and being as good as gold for the other 3 hours of the journey. Of course, we did nearly miss our flight out, but that's due to factors beyond our control (thanks Thomson for only having 2 check in desks open😁). 

Once we had checked into our hotel in Crete, the nerves and panic of the journey were soon forgotten. We had booked a family swim up suite which was beautiful, being situated in the corner of the resort with views over the sea. J and I shared a spacious double room and H was set up in the living room area in a travel cot. He had great fun exploring his new home from home and despite early misgivings, he settled well every night and slept throughout the night, every night. 

Overall we had a fantastic holiday with good food, quality time together as a family - and as a couple too as we used the resort nursery to look after H for an hour or two some of the days we were there. We left with lots of happy memories: the hot stone grill! Exploring the island on the land train! And this perfect sunset...

Updates with H...

He is now a very good conversationalist. When I pick him up from his cot in the morning he says 'hello mummy, how are you today?' and sometimes 'wow! A tiger! Roar!' as he shows me Dumdy Tiger. I love how he's learning to string simple sentences together and my heart swells with pride when he constructs a new sentence or is able to communicate something new to me 'Mummy! What's that sound? A plane!' 

With his newfound communication skills, he is also able to tell me when he doesn't want to do something, when he (*thinks*) he's finished his food and that he durable want his happy changed. So my days are often spent trying to reason with my 21 month old son, asking him to use his words rather than to lash out at me or his toys (which granted doesn't happen very often, but I'm quick to nip outbursts in the bud). The word discipline has cropped up in several of mine and J's conversations lately and I'm putting into practice lessons learned from watching years of 'Supernanny'. We have a Timeout area which he sits in when he's done something particularly naughty. I'm quite surprised that he actually sits and completes his Timeout quite tolerably. If anything he finds it novel and is constantly trying to catch my eye to entice a conspiratorial wink or smile which I try my hardest to avoid. But he's just so goddamn cute! Even when he's filled with mischief. Luckily for us, his naughty moments are few and far between (at the moment!) but both J and I really feel strongly that H needs to be taught how to behave towards others in a gentle, rational way. Sigh. This parenting gig can be tough.

H has also developed a love of rockets and all things space, in part nurtured by me as a way to get him to look forward to the plane journey. But yes totally run with it and now wants to watch the NASA channel on YouTube more than CBeebies! Here he is in his own short-lived cardboard rocket that J made for him.

In other news, I've slightly increased my hours at work, starting next week. It's all party of the 'grand plan' J and I have and whilst I will miss those extra few hours a week with H, I feel like he's at a stage where he can cope being without me for a few hours more. And I'll still be spending 4 days of the week with him, the majority of the time, which is what I'd always wanted.

Anyway, I shall try to update again soon. We have bought a potty, so the next update could be interesting...!

L x

Holidays and High Jinks

Last week we went on our first family holiday to Dorset. We stayed in a lovely little cottage, about 6 miles from Lyme Regis, and celebrated 3 milestones - J's birthday, Harrison reaching 7 months old and J leaving his job in London. 

We had a really wonderful time and it was so good to spend quality time together, surrounded by glorious countryside, rolling hills and the breathtaking Jurassic Coast. We spent days eating fish and chips and fudge on the beach at Lyme Regis, climbing up Jacob's Ladder and exploring deep underground caves in Cheddar Gorge and trekking miles of perfect powder-white cliffs at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. 

Harrison, always such a chirpy ray of sunshine, took the change in scenery in his stride and slept well in his travel cot, quite possibly exhausted from the exciting adventures of the day. As for me and J, we got to spend evenings cuddled up drinking in this view and some delicious moscato rosé. 

It's no lie that that we face some real changes as a family now as J embarks on a new path for his career, but perhaps it was the long car journeys filled with good conversation, the moments of peace surrounded by nature, the fun of the seaside or the joy of standing on a cliff top marvelling at our beautiful world with the two people I love best in all the world, but I feel renewed. I feel whole. I feel like we have made amazing memories for us and our boy. And I feel excited for these new changes and for how they will shape our family's future.

As for the latest on our little bundle of joy, he is learning new skills at an alarming rate! Sitting up on his own is now a doddle. He now does a funny little wiggly dance when he's excited. He reaches out for me, J, his favourite toys. He grins and giggles with glee when he hears his Iggle Piggle sing it's song. He laughs at my silliness and revels in the dodgy dances, songs and tricks I perform. I'm his personal entertainer and have an embarrassingly large repertoire of daft things I will do to see his gorgeous, gummy grin. Of course, when J does something silly or joins in, it's even better and we will lapse into our comedy duo routine, much to Harrison's delight. 

J's career change means that currently we are blessed with lots of family time whilst things get up and running. I'm so overjoyed that J gets to see more of his son now, at this most precious and exciting time of his life. Now I have someone to share those magical moments with when Harrison performs tricks of his own, whether it's finishing a bowl of porridge in the morning without a fuss or doing his little jig when In the Night Garden comes on the TV. 

Sometime I do feel like it's the little things that matter the most in life. And Harrison is the littlest of us all. 

Babymoon

Weeks 21 - 23 have been spent relaxing in Sharm el Sheikh for our babymoon!

We stayed in a 5* resort and tried to avoid ice, violent protests and anything remotely healthy that may have been washed in tap water. Even still, both of us had poorly tummies and got exhausted by the heat. The first week we were there it reached 48 degrees! J also suffered with a nasty cold he just couldn't shake the whole time, so it didn't quite live up to our expectations, however, the best thing was to just relax together with no chores to complete or places to be. We also got to go snorkelling too in the second week which was AMAZING! We saw sting rays, angel fish, lion fish, conch shells with weird alien type things living inside them. The coral reef was beautiful and out of this world. I am so thrilled that we got to discover a newfound hobby together and see so many crazy, beautiful things under the sea. It was magical and something I'll remember for the rest of my life. 

In other news, Peanut has grown enormously since I last wrote and J has finally been able to feel a kick or two! Peanut is an active wriggler now who kicks and somersaults everyday. He also enjoys bouncing on my bladder which means I'm also having to go to the bathroom every hour :-/ 

Something freaky happened a few days ago too - I'd just had a shower and was blow drying my hair (topless - as you do) in the bathroom of our hotel room when I noticed a shiny drip down my breast and belly. At first I thought it was water from my hair, though by this point I was completely dry and when I touched the shiny trail it was sticky... And then I realised that I've started lactating! After about 30 minutes of freaking out, I realised (whilst J desperately tried to reassure me) that this was completely normal and healthy and calmed down. Now most mornings I notice a dried up milky patch in my t shirt or on the bed from where a small amount of milk has started to leak. It's a strange feeling, but I'm pleased that it seems to be healthy at this stage. I really do want to breastfeed if I can but I just have to get over the sensitivity of my nipples! 

I will leave you for now with a photo of Peanut and I about to go out for dinner on our 23 week anniversary. 

Blooming Awful!

At the moment I have a whole host of terrible symptoms which are making me feel very poorly.

A couple of weeks ago I developed perocoronitis around my lower left wisdom tooth which was agonising and made my face swell up like Don Corleone's. I had an emergency appointment with a dentist who prescribed me amoxicillin (general antibiotics) and some Corsodyl mouthwash. After a few days the swelling reduced and my desperate need for pain killers decreased, so last week I was able to teach the Easter holiday workshops without too much fuss.

But over the weekend I've developed a nasty cold and a horrible wracking cough which amounts to tear streaked coughing fits and me trying to catch my breath. The pain in my wisdom tooth has also started up again, it's even started to swell a little bit. My lips are sore and cracked too, so eating has become a nightmare. And now, just to make matters even worse, I've got a rash on my arms, chest and belly.

So generally I feel pretty shocking.

I've booked an appointment with the dentist for Wednesday afternoon (I have now registered with a good dentist so hopefully no more emergency appointments for me) and I'm expecting a phonecall from my doctor this afternoon, hopefully just to reassure me that it's all a virus and I will get better in a couple of days.

I've got so much work on at the moment too, I think I'd really benefit from just having a couple of days off! The weekends are never long enough to rest up and relax. Especially as I need to carry out most of the household chores on the weekends. It all feels very stressful and overwhelming. Above all else, I want to make sure Peanut is safe, but I don't have any energy left for panicking. I'm just quietly hoping that all will be well, and like a ship in a storm, my body is taking the battering whilst my little baby is sleeping safely in a cocoon in the belly of the ship.

Some good news though, my tiredness seems to be levelling out. Despite the illness, I was able to walk to work this morning and felt quite energetic. We've had a couple of days of good sunshine and its been so nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.

J and I also went shopping on the weekend and bought some new clothes, including some new jeans, tops and some beautiful stretchy dresses for our holiday. I am really looking forward to having 11 days in the sunshine now!