Xmas Xpress

Xmas

The B'Wood Yangs enjoyed another Xmas this year at the Macca household - now with fully extended kitchen, dining area and master bedroom. Aimee of course made thorough use of all the new space and scurried around the place like it was her own home.

Both Aimee and Dylan (his first Xmas...wow!) received bountiful supply of pressies, so many that our car was in danger of collapsing under the weight. Sadly, the untrusty jalopy that is my car did indeed collapse, post Boxing Day necessitating a tow truck and a mechanic that was thankfully open during Xmas. My New Years resolution will definitely include buying a new car.

That was not the only incident over Xmas. 92 year old Granny still had enough gas in her to cause upset and turmoil with her criticisms and comments, same as every year.

But it did not spoil what was one of the best Xmas's we enjoyed for a long time, with our super extended family.

Tantrums

Aimee is now officially in the terrible twos (TT) category. Over Xmas she developed a quite demanding persona, escalating to full blown tantrum stakes. Back at home I went to Tesco and of course, supermarkets and toddler tantrums go to together like fish and chips. She went into a full on hysteria screaming fit all because I couldn't cuddle her, push the trolley and pick out groceries at the same time. She wanted cuddles there and then and everything had to stop. So after doing every trick I knew, I had enough and just plonked her into the trolley and proceeded to check out, with her screaming more loudly and begging 'out, out, out trolley, no daddy no daddy'. You can imagine the pitying onlookers and perpahs not a few unapproving gazes as well.

Since then, she has threatended a few more TT tantrums, but we've averted them with distraction and concessions. I have a horrible feeling it is only going to get worse.

Return of the Yangs

My mum and dad came back from Thailand after a 3 month stay from looking after my sister and her newborn Oscar. It was great to see them again, and looking so healthy and well. ngand dad immediately, well it was that and the tons of presents they brough back. She is easily pleased is our Aimee. My parents went all gaga with Dylan straight away, with lots of cooing and complimenting about his healthy physique and handsome face (of course, like his daddy!). Dyls played his part superbly by smiling lots and being generally cute. But as always, the star of the show is Aimee and she played them her full repertoire of laughs, gurnings, dance moves, comedy acts etc etc.

The new year will bring many changes for our kids. We hope to find a good nursery. We will start Aimee potty trainng. Dylan will grow bigger and start bottle, then weening. And, towards the end of 2008, Cat will return to work and we will have to work out a new routine. Lots for us to think and fret over.

Brother sister

More weighings

Dylan, at 5 weeks old, now weighs an arm busting 4.74 Kg (10lb7oz).

Contrast the differences in differing boroughs, but the health visitor here seems to come round our house almost weekly. In Hackney, they just left you on your own after a week.

Dyls seems to be settling into a pattern of constant 2 hour feeds interruped by half sleeps during the day, coupled with long 5-6 hour sleeps at night. Great for our own sleep, but exhaustingly high maintenance during the day. But we've learned a few tricks from early Aimee days and any fussiness is quickly quelled with various rocking, shooshing and knee dipping (nicked from the one baby Pilates/yoga class Cat ever took) techniques.

I'm off on leave now and can help look after Aimee before the Xmas hols. So I used the chance to check out the local parent and toddler play group in the village hall. From the outside, the hall is a ramshackle tin hut, but on the inside, it is a warm, inviting bedlam of fun. Aimee enjoyed it but we got there too late and only had about 20 minutes. We'll certainly go again and for £1.50, it is a bargain and a vital service for local mums (and the odd dad).

Yummy Mummy

Cat, Aimee and Dylan became models for the new Tesco Direct catalogue (summer edition). Aimee of course loved every second under the spotlights of the camera. Dylan was also enraptured, then fell back to sleep. One of the Tesco media staff described Cat as a ‘Yummy Mummy’ which is a lovely compliment.
This evening, I was mucking around with silly faces in front of Dylan and I swear, he smiled, not just the first time, but several times and exactly in response to my silly faces. He kinda gurgled in pleasure too. This surely has to be a record – who’s ever heard of a 5 week old actually smiling. Some say wind, but I’m convinced it is otherwise. It’s an amazing experience to witness your bambino smile for the first time. I seem to remember Aimee smiling very early too but we didn’t believe it. She hasn’t stopped flashing her famous smile ever since.

Photo makes me look like I got my hands full! Well it's certainly true, but not as full as Cat, who looks after both all day every day...what a champ she is.

Dyls's tests came back normal, he is fine and I guess that means no UV phototherapy to treat the jaundice thank goodness. I reckon a spot of normal daylight would be adequate but with the really shite weather at the moment, I doubt he'll get out much.

Aimee was reported to have managed to unknot a tied up door key and very nearly make her escape from grandparent's house in MK. She's developing some very crafty and ingenious naughty tactics that her old man would be proud of in his own toddler days (child safety comes first now though, ahem.)

Billy Rubin

Poor little Dylan is still jaundiced so Cat took him to see the paediatrician. She took blood and urine samples (Dylan confidently filled his vial of weewee more than twice over!) and we'll soon find out if he has any underlying illness. The doc also noted from her careful Q&A that he has acid reflux.
This is when the baby's gut is not mature enough to stop stomach acid entering the upper throat and mouth, causing pain and discomfort. Cat did notice on seveal occasions that Dyls had sicked up transparent fluid which I said was acid. This was confirmed by the doc so we now have to slightly change the way we feed him and put him to sleep.
Having said that, Dyls has been sleeping pretty well at night - 4 hours a go with one major feed about 3am. I reasoned that it is because it is quiet and fairly cool and he can rest without his big sister trying to poke him in the eye. The sleep certainly helps Cat but, like a high pedigree Friesan, her boobs do get painful if she is not milked for more than 4 hours!
Despite the miserable December weather, we've been trying to get Aimee out and about as much as possible. It's not very healthy for an active toddler to stay indoors all day. Cat has found a number of toddler playgroups in B'Wood and Aimee now goes for walks with reins strapped to her (which she loves!). Photos of that to come soon.

Guess who?

All babies are roughly 4 weeks old. From top left going clockwise: Seymour (late '60's), Dylan (2007), Aimee (2005), cousin Oscar (2007). Can't seem to find a picture of a baby Cat, perhaps a raid through the Macca photo albums might yield something bribeworthy, erm I mean cute and interesting.

Aimee's Whining Hours

What is it with kids and sleep. They tear around all day so you’d think they would be tired enough to comfortably fall asleep the moment they hit the pillow. But not Aimee. No matter what time or routine we try, she still plays up big time at bedtime. Sometimes, she’ll only fuss for about 10 mins, but it's recently become real bad - she’ll cry and cry and moan and beg and scream for ages. We’ve learnt there’s no point running in and acceding to her demands (want teddy, want light on, want come out, want this, want that) because it only prolongs the affair and encourages her behaviour. Thank goodness she is still in the cot and contained within it, but I shudder at the thought that soon, she will be old enough for a bed and can then get out and get up to mischief all by herself.

Cat seems to be doing fairly ok during the day. It doesn't help that weather is cold and wet so Aimee can't play in garden or park, but there's enough entertainment at home for now. But it sure is exhausting. I come home from work and Cat is almost trance-like with tiredness. So I take over, but on a couple of nights, she wanted me to use the baby carrier (the brilliant Baby Bjorn) on Dylan. So after Aimee goes to bed (wailing as just described) I carry Dylan around.

Now this might seem easy, and for a short period it is. But Dylan is fretful at the moment. He can't sleep very long before his wind kicks on and fidgets and winces and then begins to cry. The Bjorn is the only thing that settles him. Probably because he is carried around in an upright position that keeps his stomach acid and excess milk where it should be, ie in his stomach. And of course he has my warm body to keep comfy in. The other night, he sat in the Bjorn eyes wide open refusing to sleep until 1am with me swaying and humming trying to lull him to sleep. All in aid of poor Cat who had not had any sleep the night before. You know, for a recent newborn (now weighing an impressive 9lb 3oz) he sure gets heavy after 3 hours in a baby carrier.

The health visitor came again and mentioned that Dylan still had a bit of jaundice in his eyes. It’s only mild but she reported it to our hospital paediatrician who may want to see him. Usually J goes away after a week, which is why she was curious, although not worried, by the lingering yellowness on a four week old. But the drinking machine that is Dylan is not letting a bit of pigment build-up get in the way of his milk. He now weighs 9lb 3 oz and looks a chubbier beast to when he was first born.

Warhol baby

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

The visiting health visitor parted our home the other day with a warning: on no account EVER leave your toddler alone in the room with the baby while you are not there. It seems obvious but it is like one of those stories where a dog owner swears – I don’t understand it, Rover never bites, he’s just always so friendly – as the dog savages a small child to pieces. However, on the practical front, it is actually very hard trying to avoid popping into the other room or going to the loo while leaving the children alone in the other room. It is easy to forget that in child-time, things happen about 20 million parsecs faster than in adult time. We got a small taste of what a toddler can do when we watched Aimee wander up to Dylan’s carrycot and peered inside. Within a split second, she started rocking it very hard, to the point where if we had not intervened, it could have toppled from its stand. On another occasion, Cat was carrying Dylan but Aimee wanted something out of reach to her and when Cat said No, Aimee started slapping Dylan hard. A swift rebuke brought tears (while Dylan thankfully was ok). And this is all within our sight. Imagine if she was left alone? Of course Aimee is too young to know the consequences of her actions. And all Dylan cares is when his next meal is coming from.

Silent Night

Blessed sleep. The commodity that no money can buy a new parent. Aimee is in bed by 8pm but can take up to an hour to wind down, she wakes at 5:30am. Dylan sleeps no longer than 2 hours if lucky and right now, he seems only happy unless he is suckling all the time. Poor Cat, she sleeps no more than about 2 hours a night. The regime right now is relentless. Since DJ was born, one or other member of our family has stayed over to help, but now the honeymoon period is definitely over. From Monday, Cat is on her own looking after DJ and Aimeesan. But the shimmer of light is that once the sleep thing has passed, you quickly forget how hard it is. Aimee took almost 9-10 months before she would sleep through the night. But now, she’s like any other toddler – using all her tricks to delay the event as long as possible but finally pegging out when fatigue takes over. We’ll occasionally ge a scream or a whelp in the middle of the night, but she quickly falls back to sleep. But I find the very early morning starts a shock to my system – a system highly trained from years of the discipline of the midday lie-in. As a natural night-owl I cannot physically sleep before midnight – 1am being my preferred bedtime. Factor in Aimee’s early mornings and I get no more than 4 hours a night. Which kinda reminds me of ole Maggie Thatchers oft claimed 4-hours a night sleep. She made that claim in Gordan Gekko like fashion ie sleep is for wimps. But if that’s the case, then please, please, let us be eternal wimps.

Birthday Girl

Wow what an amazing day at Planet Yangwood. We celebrated Aimee's second birthday by kicking off the day with a Skyped video session with Aunty Googoo, Uncle Mat, Granddad Ye-Ye and baby Oscar. Aimee missed her Nai-Nai of course and kept asking for her, but alas circumstances will have to save that for another day. Then over came all the family Maccas and friends Jennifer and Tony who brought down their two-year old Luke, who packs a hell of an impact in his tiny but chubby frame. Luke and Aimee spent the day tearing up and down the flat, playing hide and seek and generally creating noisy fun together. It was great to see Aimee really enjoy herself and slightly bizarre to see the two of them chatting with each other over what toys to play with (bizarre cos only when you see Aimee out of the usual at home context do you realise that she has grown so much). I think Aimee misses the company of other children being stuck at home all the time, but next year we plan to reintroduce her to nursery.

Aimee had so many presents that we had to stagger the opening sessions into several batches over the day. In fact the next day, there were still several waiting to be opened! And then there was the cake, sweets, biscuits and all manner of party food to send Aimee into a chemically-induced hyperactive frenzy. Throughout all the party commotion, diddy pretty much slept thoughout. Thanks to all the Maccas who came along, especially Sarah who helped us out tons during the past week. And also great to hook up with Aunty Googoo, Mat, Grandad ye-ye and ickle Oscar via Skype. We even had a visit from our elderly neighbours, who have done loads to make us feel welcome in our new home. Also props to Cat who, despite a lack of proper sleep, was a whirlwind in the kitchen, creating more than enough pizzas and snacks.

Aimee had a great time and it's only fitting that having felt a bit left out since the birth of Diddy, she was back to full Aimee-fun mode. I wonder what future birthdays will be like? Probably more mad and more noisy - and with both kids born in November - a potentially bank crippling time of the year too. Oh well, as long as the kids have fun, then me and Cat are happy.

Daddys boy

Piggie Wiggie

It's bathtime! Diddy enjoys his first dip and he seemed like he enjoyed himself. Must be like going back into the womb at a comfy 37 degrees. Unlike the November weather here, which is a less than comfy 7 degrees during the day.

Clever Aunty Sylvie sent me the translation of his Chinese name:

Chuan Yin.

Chuan = to propagate, to pass knowledge, to transmit.

Yin = to shelter under a tree, to comfort, to protect.

Chuan is the name as decreed by the family naming system, Yin was decided by his grandparents.

Chinese names can be so poetic, I think his chosen names are really lovely. Diddy is born under the Chinese Year of the Pig. And he sounds like one too when her is crying. Not the piggy squeals, but the piggie nasal grunts, erm, a bit like his Dad.

Blowin' in the Wind

We have a name, finally, at last. Dylan was always Cat's favourite name. It is closest to the Chinese word for little brother - di-di. But also wanted to maintain a family link, so he takes James from his Grandad. So new baby is now Dylan James Yang in English, Yang Chuan Ying in Chinese.
We call him didi all the time now but he may wish to be known as Diddy, Dyls or DJ when he is older, so there are plenty of options. Aimee can say Dylan perfectly, but then she is so fluent now she can say hundreds of words and numbers with no hesitation. It is like her vocabulary has exploded from out of nowhere. Maybe it helps being at home everyday, absorbing all the phrases and commands we utter. Often giving us back as good as she gets.
Sister Sarah is taking over the reins helping out with us this week. She's already proving to be a big hit with Aimee, playing and dancing non-stop (to the point where she refuses to go to bed!) and Diddy sleeps very well in her arms, giving us tired and exhausted Mum and Dad a much needed rest.
But poor diddy is a bit bunged up in the nasal passages making him very snorty and sniffly. I think the central heating disagrees with his sensitive little nose. He also has come out really flakey all over his body. But a bit of olive oil and maybe, his first ever bath will sort that out. The infant acne seems to be appearing in small places, but not as bad as when Aimee had it. Ew, I can barely look at the photos of that time, it gives me goosebumps.
So onward and upward. Many artisans share the name of Dylan, we wonder if he will follow their creative leads.

Mummy's boy, Daddy's girl

ET phone home!

Boy Yang’s first week passed by and he grows chubbier by the day, Cat swears by the hour! But he is still jaundiced, although the health visitors say it is nothing to be worried about. He also cries a lot when he is not feeding. All he ever wants is his milk, even when he is completely full up. We reckon it is a comfort thing cos he is obviously exhibiting signs of being a mummy’s boy. The easy thing to do in this case would be to shove a pacifier/dummy into his mouth, that way everyone can get rest. But Cat is never gonna allow this. She didn’t with Aimee and won’t do for new boy.
I should mention that we finally got a new front door. It replaced the annoying door that was so drafty you could see the neighbours across the road through the gaps. It is just one of a thousand household things I need to get sorted – like get a garden shed. Cat’s Dad kindly mowed our lawn yesterday. It is so long that I suspect David Bellamy might be lurking in there checking out the wildlife. Yes, a new shed would be very important as it means I am committed to actually having to do garden activities like rake, mow, dig and other gardeney things that people apparently do on weekends (what do I know? I am an inner city flat dweller all my adult life!). Mind you, in order to do that, I would have to venture into the garden itself, something I have not yet done.
Right now, I am just having to deal with the Ever Ready Bunny that is Aimee. Cat seems to have taken on the role of sole new born carer and thus I am totally in charge of Aimee. And what a schedule it is too. Up at 5:30am and immediately the games begin – dancing, singing, playing hide and seek, tickle, jump on daddy, playing stop the Aimee destroying my personal possessions ( a real fave that one) etc etc. It is relentless but there are times of great laughs and real enjoyment for both me and Aimee. The day ends roughly around 8pm and in between there are interludes that pass off as feeding times and nap times. What is important is that Aimee feels she is not left out in all this new baby commotion and she seems slowly to be warming to the crying bundle in the carrycot. Maybe if we gave him a name, it would make things a bit easier. But that’s Cat’s job so we could be waiting a little while.

1-banana, 2-banana, 3-banana-4...

A one and a two

Our new addition is fast settling in to family life. The midwife came round today to weigh him and was shocked at how much weight he had put on. He was 7lb 4oz. A pretty decent 7-8oz gain in a little under 5 days since birth. She wondered if they weighed him wrong when he was born. In anycase, she was incredibly gushing about how well he has taken to the breast and she gave Cat nothing but compliments and praise. In passing, she remarked on a recent newborn community visit where she arrived at the home and the mother was nowhere to be found - the father said she had gone to the pub!
Aimee was also weighed for her two-year check-up yesterday, she weighed over 12.45Kilos which is spot on average for her age. She is also 83 cm high which is pretty average and I only add this info as it is useful when buying new clothes for her.
(NB: if you’re wondering why the overlap between metric and imperial weights and measurements – don’t ask me, I’m just writing what the experts tell me are the figures…so much for standardisation).

So still no name for newborn. We’ve toyed with classic old English, classic celt and gaelic, hip and trendy, posh and chavvy. They all don’t seem to chime at the moment. But baby boy is fattening up fast and with his fine blonde hair, actually looks quite Aryan. We did chuckle at calling him Enoch.

Aimee has been funny these past few days. We expected her to play up due to the new addition and she has done, but it is quite subtle. She will play her usual games and hijinks but definitely wants more cuddles and even seems a bit sad and maudlin at times. At one point, I was holding baby and Cat was talking to her Mum and Aimee was protesting by lying on the floor screaming :HELLO, HELLO??? Another moment, we asked to to come into the baby bedroom for some cuddles and she point blank refused and shouting NO NO NO!!!!
I hope she gets over her funk and gets used to baby. Well, she doesn’t have much choice and it will be tougher once I go back to work in a week.

Settling in

Baby boy is doing well. Went back to hospital today to check feet but doc says he is fine

The Baby Boy in the Bubble

Each day passed and each day no sign of baby No2 coming out. And then, just after supper on Thursday night (1st Nov) I was washing the dishes and Cat said to me she thought things were starting. It was as casual and low key as that. The contractions were about 3 minutes apart but very mild so the hospital told us on the phone to wait at home. So I returned to the washing only for Cat to say, erm, can we hurry up now?
Watford General has two floors for maternity. The Alexander Birthing Centre and the main maternity dept. The ABC is a home-from-home unit, where everything is calm and quiet and chilled. So chilled you could be forgiven for thinking it was a branch of Starbucks. After initial examination and with Cat confirmed as being 3-4 cm dilated, she checked the notes and said we had to go upstairs to the main unit since the doctors notes recommended a drip after the birth and the ABC do not do ANY medical intervention. Reluctantly we staggered upstairs, stopping every 3 minutes as Cat held on and puffed away as the contractions started to come in full force.
The main ward was actually again quite chilled and relaxed. Night time obviously suits the labour ward as it is free from visitors and admin staff. We had a nice delivery room and a very nice midwife who stayed with us the entire duration. Cat huffed and breathed and yelled a little, while I, shame to admit, fell asleep in the chair, every so often coming to and uttering a few ‘well done Cat, breathe’ before nodding off again. Next thing I knew, Cat said, can you get the midwife (she was not actually in the room most of the time and just left Cat to get on with things). Once the midwife arrived she examined Cat and then things rushed very fast indeed.
The midwife, Esther, said to me, look, you can see the water has not broken and it is pushing out. And yes, out of Cat came an oblong pink water balloon. I said, is that the head? The midwife poked it and said looks like baby will be delivered in it’s waters, ooh look, there is the head, get ready, she said, why I said, but before I could finish, out shot our baby like a slippery cannon ball.
The midwife held baby aloft, still in his comfort bubble. She didn’t so much burst it as peel it and suddenly, there he was. She also noted that his umbilical cord was around his neck – but she deftly unhooked it and there it was, the first scream. Time, 3:50am on November 2nd, 2007.
Immediately, Cat held out her arms and kissed and hugged him. In response, our baby son immediately stopped crying and started looking around, quite fascinated with his new life. Within minutes, Cat put him to breast, aware that before, a very long delay with Aimee could have been the reason for her breast feeding troubles. But there was nothing to worry, he suckled like a pro! In fact he won’t stop.
The whole labour took about 6 hours from admittance to the ward. It was so much different to our experience with Aimee. And everything felt natural and straight-forward. Cat suffered a few tiny tears and a tiny blood loss. Of course, nothing compared to the trauma of last time. I was awe struck at how tiny a newborn baby is. I mean REALLY tiny. I am so used to Aimee now that holding a newborn again has come as quite a shock.
So now, we’re at home adjusting to life with a new baby. Aimee is interested more in playing and running and being a toddler on speed, but she has mentioned her ‘di-di’ several times and seems fascinated whenever Cat comes down with him. And we need to find a name, since it is very impersonal to write about our baby No2 or the boy baby. We could call him poo bottom, since all he seems to do is poo – all the time, constantly. I blame Cat’s over-productive milk supply.
So, as a tired but very happy father retires to bed, I would like to say thanks and blessings that we have a wonderful, beautiful new child in our lives.

Still waiting

Well the due date came and went, and we're still waiting.

Wriggle

It's really not long to go now until our baby No2 is due. When I am at
work, I find I am thinking about it all the time. A quick call to Cat is
not always reassuring as she will sometimes complain about a pain
or niggle that I instantly take as signs of early labour.
On the one hand, I want him to be born so we can get on with the
business of looking after him, but on the other hand, it's been really
lovely having the time to just enjoy our new home. anyway, bubba No2 is busy kicking away and I always love feeling him wriggle under Cat's tummy.

My sister in Thailand is doing well with her little boy, Oscar. After a
short spell under the UV lamps due to jaundice, he appears to be in
rude health and breast feeding like a natural. It's funny to hear from
Sylv about her ups and downs, as these brought back memories of
our first few weeks with Aimee. Funny how time flies and how
quickly we have forgotten the trials of those early days.

Aimee can now recognise hundreds of pictures. As soon as I draw
one small part of the animal, car, plane, tree etc she names it before
I can finish. I thought this morning I would try my luck with alpha
numeric characters and she guessed correctly the number 5, 3 and
2, but stalled on the other numbers, making words up, like tortoise
instead of number 6 etc. A bit more practice and it may be she could
end up being a good early reader. She certainly loves books, more
than TV I would say and I'm definitely trying to encourage this.

Great balls of fire

16-10-07
One of the perils an active toddler faces is injury within the home.
Since we are trying to ween her off telly, we now spend most of the
time running after her and stopping her from falling, bumping,
smashing, slipping etc against ordinary home objects such as
furniture, bins, tvs etc. She is not as bad as some stories you hear
of, mostly boys, leaping off settees and pulling heavy objects onto
themselves, but she's pretty, shall we say 'curious'.
So it comes as some relief that there is one place in Borehamwood
that is a sanctuary for ballistic toddlers everywhere - the B'Wood
leisure centre Playzone.
Here, over three storeys, are floors, stairs, climbing frames, balls etc
all covered in tough wearing foam. Youngsters can run around like a
demented loon with little danger of harm (although you still have to
supervise by following closely). Aimee of course went mental at all
the physical stimulus. She spent most of the time sprinting from one
floor to the other, jumping, skidding, sliding and bouncing off things.
If Carlsberg made toddler zones, this would be it.

Teebee, Teebee

11.10.07

Cat, Aimee and I took a little trip back to Hackney’s finest – Homerton Hospital – for an ECV. As me and Aimee waited in the ‘birthing partner’ room, Cat was in the delivery room getting checked over.
Luckily, Baby No2 had managed to turn into the ‘correct’ position of head down without any manipulation necessary, so Cat was out after only a brief period. Aimee was on pretty good behaviour whilst we were waiting but I did have alarming visions of Cat going into labour and me having to entertain and control Aimee for several hours in the same tiny room. Anyhow, the news that unborn has turned has come as a welcome relief and Cat was very happy.
So, the rest of the day turned to me looking after Aimee at home while Cat took a well deserved rest and I tried very hard to avoid using the TV. Aimee has taken to nagging and nagging and nagging for us to play her favourite Postman Pat or In the Night Garden videos and when we relent she just stands there like a zombie for hours. At first I think, this is great - I can get some rest or do some of my own work. And yet, I get an enormous sense of guilt whenever I resort to the TV, partly fuelled by having read several articles about the harm that excess TV can do to a young child’s language development.
Regardless of the harm it is alleged to be doing, I think that it is my parental duty to join in with as much as I can with Aimee, and encourage her to play and draw, and dance and sing and do all the things a toddler should be doing, except for standing there like a Pompeii statue absorbing nonsense on the flickering screen (like us adults - oh the woes of double standards). So, I invented a new game of belly flop onto the giant beanbag cushion. Aimee loved it. After my initial demonstration, she belly flopped onto it for ages, never tiring. Then we got creative and drew animals together. Or rather, Aimee would call out the animal and pester me to draw one – usually birdies, but sometimes monkeys or cats. After a while, the page had a lot of very similar looking creatures in the menagerie, as I exhausted all the permutations of birdie, monkey and cat. Soon, she completely forgot the TV and stopped begging for ‘Pat, Pat, Pat’. Another top purchase was the pink mini-stroller. She runs around with that, with dolly sitting in it, for hours – upstairs, downstairs, all along the coridoor – everywhere. That thing cost about £5 and is played with more than any £50 quid electronic ‘educational’ toy.

In the Day Garden

8-October-07
So, almost a week after we move home and more boxes were unpacked, but more boxes remain stacked – ready to be shunted into the loft. Clearly our lives have collected too many ‘miscellaneous’ items. But we have tried to recycle. And it is here that I succumbed to my latest B’wood experience – the recycling Nazis.
Currently, the council only collect rubbish fortnightly, the other week belongs to recycling.
(Hackney was both rubbish and recycling every week.) So if you have excess rubbish that won’t fill the green/brown/black/blue wheelie bins, you have to take it to the Elstree recycling centre. And that, my friends, is where you encounter the dreaded recycling Nazis. Here, a man in a fluorescent yellow vest who clearly detests all the middle class suburban folk that queue patiently outside the centre, will quiz you endlessly about your armful of junk until you relent, sobbing like a naughty schoolboy until you admit that, yes, the bag did contain one item of non-recycleable wax paper and that, yes, I will sift through the entire lot again and report back next week with the correct boxes for correct skips. Bizarrely, the rather smelly and trashy site sits right next door to some of the poshest cottages in green Elstree – how the local residents must be delighted.
Oh and that’s not all. Every Monday, you must roll your wheelie bin out onto the pavement. Ain’t nobody gonna hike up your sodding path to collect rubbish, oh no. So there they stood this morning, all up my road, like sentries standing guard to each semi-detached house driveway.
For the kitchen waste, you have to use the council approved compostable bags, not the cheaper and more easily obtained Tesco ones, no the hard to find Hertsmere ones. Hmm, I have yet to even get hold of a green caddy, so all my kitchen waste goes into the bin I’m afraid.

Aimee loves the new house. Especially the garden. I spent close to two hours assembling her toddler car which she wheels around like Fred Flintstone, but it’s the inherited Wendy House she loves the most. It’s a filthy old thing, that looks more like a bacteria and death trap for someone so young, so we’ll need to clean it out and fix some rubber mats. The garden also has some sharp stone steps which is just asking for Aimee to slip and split her head open on…or am I being too paranoid?

Cat will undergo her ECV tomorrow. WE have sneeking suspicion that unborn has indeed turned already as Cat felt some kicks into her rib, but we will find out tomorrow.

B'Wood - First Impressions

B’Wood – First impressions
Borehamwood is a fairly small to medium sized town nestled in green belt Hertfordshire. I am not sure of my exact reasons for choosing it, but several people we knew lived there and mentioned that it was ok. We did make several day visits and it seems exactly that – ok. Someone who was unfamiliar with the ‘Wood may be cruel enough to label the people and the high street as quite chavvy and a little down market but the shopping centre is bright and modern and the transport is pretty decent. So far I have yet to meet a rude or impolite person here – in fact the very opposite as people are only too willing to chat and help with info for newcomer such as us.

Nicer still are the villages of Elstree and Radlett Cat and I have already sampled country pub grub at the Cat & fiddle in Radlett and it was A-mazing.
One of the interesting points to note about B’wood is the huge number of schools for such a small catchment area. At about 4pm, the high street is awash with kids wearing different coloured uniforms. Cat and I have been making a mental note for future reference for our kids.
There seems to be a lot of kids wearing black sweaters and shell suits. These kids like to hang around in huge gangs after school. Then there are the navy blue uniform kids, I think this is a rival school if similar repute. The kids from both seem to don their uniforms in all manner of interesting variations – anything apart from the standard required by the school. Then there are what seem to be the posher kids. All wear blazers of varying colours and all are accompanied by their parents after school. I guess these are posh as they don’t seem to hang around in gangs and seem to act quite politely. Who knows? I could be very wrong and dissing quite good schools. I guess we will find out in a few years.

Our Big House Move

4-10-07
Oh boy what a really crazy past couple of days we’ve just had!
On Monday night, Cat and I toasted our last night together in our Hackney flat with a small glass of wine to celebrate. It was weird sitting in the empty flat. All day the Pickfords boys had diligently and expertly packaged all our belongings into the removals lorry. I never knew we had so much stuff, seriously, we had tonnes. And at one point I worried the lorry was not big enough to hold it all.

By Tuesday mid-morning, the lorry was fully packed and not a pin was left behind. A totally empty flat, and by chance, our solicitors had just called to say the money was in and was now being transferred to our vendors. Before we left Hackney for good, there was one last hitch. Not really a hitch for us, but the new owners asked if I would sign for their new fridge. So I did but it was too big to fit through the flat door. I decided it was not really my problem and let the delivery boys go. I called Ali to explain and she seemed non plussed about it. Still, it seems a big oversight not to make measurements before ordering sucvh a bulky and expensive item.

On to Borehamwood. The Pickfords boys were ready and waiting and I met with the Leggetters at the house to pick up the keys. They bid us congrats anf good lucks and themselves were off to their new dream house in the countryside.

Well, if I thought the packing was a huge task, little did I realise the unpacking was an even greater job. Every room was stvked to the ceiling with cardboard boxes. Most were labelled simply the room from which they originated. Some had helpful info such as cutlery, or CDs, most were labelled by the room with the extra helpful retainer: ‘misc’. Oh dear, now the hard work began and just trying to find an important everyday item amongst the 1000 or so less important, and even junk items took ages. But after 3 whole days, we are getting some semblance of a home. Already I am enjoying the feeling of much more space and having two floors and a garden is such a luxury.

Some really annoying hiccups surfaced during our first few days in B’wood so far: first, my car finally died and I had to pay for an emergency recovery call out. The engineer simply turned the key and it started immediately. Duh! But the car has been sent packing off to the mechanics anyway. The other really annoying thing that has happened is the fact that Tiscali cocked up majorly with my transfer of address notification and failed to remove a ‘marker’ from my new telephone number. Meaning another week’s delay in getting broadband – down time for which I am paying for by the way. The final annoying thing that happened, and this is arguably the most annoying – is that after spending what seemed like four hours erecting Aimee’s cot, I realised that a very vital piece of connection is missing, presumably left behind in action in Hackney. The whole cot is unstable without the piece, so it is either a case of contacting Mamas and Papas and hoping, or trying the local pram shop. Oh, and did I mention there was a post strike?

Hopefully, if my car gets fixed, then we can go pick up Aimee, who has been bravely looked after by a very worn out set of grandparents and co. She seems to be missing us from the daily telephoned reports, or she could be having a whale of a time. We’ll find out tomorrow when we pick her up.

Ok, very tired now. But lastly, a report from far flung Thailand and my sister has named her newly born son, Oscar James Yang. What a great name!

More on Aimee and our life in Borehamwood soon.

Memories of Hackney

It's almost time to say goodbye to our beloved Hackney flat. We took Aimee to granny and Grandad Macs and she resumed her hyper excited habits once we arrived. The Bletchley home is like a great big playpen for her and I don't think she will spend much time missing me and Cat while we tidy up our flat in readiness for the big move.

As I say, we have loved living here. I first bought the flat in 1999. The same year me and Cat got together. I remember my first night after an amazingly hectic day trying to move all my possessions. The sheer exhaustion of enduring the hardest manual labour I have ever had to do. But the next morning, me and Cat woke up to the most beautiful December morning sunrise piercing through the shoddy temporary curtain we made. In fact I did not even have a proper bed, as it was still in pieces, we just slept on the mattress on the floor.But the morning was so peaceful and tranquil. Of course, later on, me and Cat got married and we had Aimee. All happy memories of my time here.

I've loved how Cat has decorated the home with her paints and photos - something I have to be honest, I was too lazy to do myself. I have loved how Aimee's laughter and energy lights up every room. I will miss the fact that you can see Canary Wharf and the Gherkin tower from my window. I won't miss the nightmare parking or the sinister gangs of youths. I will miss how, London Fields transforms from a sad lonley park in winter, into a thriving riot of festivals in summer, with hundreds of people playing, laughing, cooking, sunbasking and chatting.
I wonder if Aimee will remember Hackney.

So onwards and forwards. Borehamwood here we come. I hope there will be many more happy memories to come in our new home. So, a toast to E8 and a fond farewell. Goodbye lovely flat. Hello, lovely new home.

All smoke and no fire

Stubborn babies seem to be the theme at the moment. Sylvie's baby was in breech position. Now, just found out that our bubba No2 is lying in transverse presentation. This is basically reclining on his back, feet in the air, not a care in the world. Problem is, if he stays like that, the only way he is coming out is via C-section, which we want to avoid.
So my Mum advised using moxibustion. Having never seen or tried this ancient Chinese remedy before, I tentatively approached my local Chinese herbalist.
We tried them last night. You hold one cigar like stick close to the little toe nail and let the heat warm for 20 minutes. The effect is supposedly meant to make the baby turn into the correct position. It needs to be done every day up to ten days. After one night, no change, so we'll carry on. There doesn't appear to be any harm done by the treatment, apart from a strong whiff of dense smokiness in the air.

It is Aimee's last week at nursery before we leave Hackney. She seems in good spirits although a bit chesty with her cough. I couldn;t resist another Hello Kitty purchase yesterday - this time, a fetching winter hat and gloves. Photos soon.

We are an Uncle!

My sister Sylvie just gave birth to a healthy boy today.
Details are sketchy as my Mum, who is in Thailand to help Sylvie out, was exhausted and gave little info over the phone. But I do know that the baby came a week and half early, and was in breach position so Sylv was planned to have a C-section, when her waters broke last night and was rushed to hospital.
More news later...

The Posse

There is a distinct and visible divide in Hackney when it comes to Mums in the Park. I observe this on my days when I look after Aimee. I go to the park or out and about on the streets and there you see them: 'The Posse'.
These are gangs of posh Mums that travel in fours and fives. Their children are all called Toby or Jeremys or Cassandras and Matty etc. Their prams are all over £500 and their clothing is strictly designer mail order.
And then there are the Hackney Mums. These Mums are, sometimes single, or in any case they don't work and they are always alone. Their kid or kids wear the best they can afford, but you can tell the difference. These Mums have only ever lived in Hackney and so did their parents and parents before them.
Whenever I go to the park, I quite enjoy striking up a conversation with any nearby parent as Aimee and their child play together. But I notice that the posh Mums, when in a gang, act instinctively like a herd of bison and form a corral against outsiders. I get barely a nod of acknowledgment or sideways no eye-contact chuckle but it's definitely a case of: you're not from our NCT class/ playgroup/baby yoga group (etc) so we're not gonna engage.
No, these Mums don;t accept outsiders. But the other Mums (and some Dads too) are only too friendly. Maybe the daily drudgery of looking after kids compels them to delight in speaking to another adult, but I really enjoy my time with these people. The common bond that we all share as new parents easily transcends any class barriers. Something that posh Mums could do with learning about.
Maybe I'm overgeneralisating, but Cat has also noticed this and we talked about it today, both commenting on similar incidents.
Ironically, I also notice that these posh Mums use the full width of 'Surestart' services that the borough provides, whilst the target group of parents simply don't.
But toddlers like Aimee know nothing of class barriers and prejudices. She simply smiles and plays with anyone who wants to join her. Life seems far simpler in toddlerworld.

Wheels on the bus

It started off with a loud shout of 'ALL DAY LONNNNNG' and now, Aimee's singing is getting really good as she remembers whole passages of nursery rhymes. Her latest, is 'My Bonny Lies over the water' especially the chorus...altogether now: Bring back, bring back, bring back my Bonny to me, to me...

Changes

I can't believe it but we may finally be able to settle this whole house move thing that's been going on since way back. Months of delays and more delays but finally, a date has been settled and we will be moving out of our Hackney flat and the only area that Aimee has known.
The nursery staff know we will be leaving and one staff member recalled how Aimee first came as a young baby, unable to crawl or eat by herself, now she is this voracious happy eager young toddler who careers around the nursery like all the others. Amazing how they grow.
I wonder how Aimee will take to the new house as she has not seen it yet. Then, quite soon after that shock, will come the next one in the shape of a little brother!
Despite getting its fair share of poor press, Hackney has been great to us and great for us as new parents. The support and services are excellent (if you have the money) and the close proximity of everything is a big bonus. I'll never forget living here, I hope maybe Aimee can remember fondly her many rides on the swings, the rocking horses and slides in Hackneys well run parks.

Aimee's vocabulary is growing too vast for me to catalogue now, but one example of her ability came today during bath time. She beckoned for her favourite pump dispenser and said: soap...(nods)..soap for arms.
Wow! A whole sentance, I nearly fell over and Cat just laughed and praised her. But Aimee just looked on wondering why we weren't giving her the soap as demanded.

Several readers (that's all of them then!) have asked what will I do with the blog once the new baby arrives. Well, I plan on keeping this same blog, but changing the content to include all the news concerning the whole of the family. Maybe I'll rename and redesign it too. Just another sign of the imminent shift that will happen when brother arrives, from Aimee being sole focus of our attention...but will always the No1 daughter.

Neck pain

Poor Cat suffered a terrible cricked neck last night. It was so bad she could not get out of bed so I had to physically hold her head and neck in my hands nice and straight, every tiny movement caused a sharp stabbing pain. Cat seriously thought her neck was broken. Of course it wasn;t but people underestimate the trauma that a whiplash type neck pain can produce.
Aimee thought the fact that Mummy was in a neck brace all very amusing and showed how much she cared by jumping all over Mummy's prone bed-ridden body.
We did all manage to go for a walk in the sunshine later on. The park across the road is handy since we cna now walk Aimee there while holding her hand, so no need for a cumbersome pram. It's really cute hearing her little footsteps pitter patter along the pavement, trying to keep up with us adults.
Let's hope Cat's neck injury goes away fast and we can prepare for our imminent (althought still not yet confirmed) house move.

Watch the Birdie!

Aimee gets excited watching a youtube clip of parrots squawking.

Leaps and Bounds

Aimee did two incredible things yesterday. Her first, was to leap by herself into the cot by bouncing on the adjacent armchair. She has threatened to do this many times before but seemed to always stop short, perhaps lacking courage, and aware of our disapproval. Instead, she will jump onto the chair and just peer over the edge. But last night, after I picked her up from nursery, she zipped into her bedroom and the next thing knew, she was in the cot (which has very high side panels) and she seemed a bit shocked herself.
The other amazing thing she did happened later in the evening. I was mucking around as I usually do, by tickling her feet (with my chin stubble of all things!) and she screamed ‘Naughty Daddy’! I had to take a double back, but Cat was my witness and we both swear that is what she said. A complete sentence and wholly correct in context – a first for Aimee.
She can also recognise numbers. I thought words came first in the reading scale, but numbers is her thing. Whenever she sees the Number FOUR, she says ‘4’. Brilliant, although she does have a habit of saying ‘4’ to 3,2,1,5,6,7,8,9 too. It’s a start I guess.
Our plan to set up a new home is still hanging in nerve inducing limbo. For reasons far too idiotic to explain, we have yet to exchange contracts and without a date, I cannot plan movers, post redirection, bills, nursery notice etc. And with the prospect of our next baby arriving in October, time is getting perilously short. In the meantime, we keep our fingers crossed and count on the fact that a new home, a new life, is the best thing we will be doing for our young family.

Hello Kitty

I can't help it. I am officially outing myself out of the closet and admitting that I love buying Aimee girly clothes. I don;t care if the girls section of Gap Kids is full of Mums giving me funny looks, I love buying Aimee cute clothes. He is Aimee from this morning modelling her latest Hello Kitty t-shirt. I kind of went a but crazy at H&M yesterday and bought her tons of Hello Kitty dresses and tops.
How our generations have changed. I'm sure our fathers would not have been seen dead in a girly clothes shop.
I shall make up for it by playing lots of footie and macho manly activities when my soon-to-be son is old enough.

Circus Top

We took Aimee out for a bit of a run-around in Broadgate Circus (Liverpool Street). She ended up owning the place, running around screaming at frightened pigeons and climbing up stairs. It was great fun as Aimee showed off her repertoire of crazy dancing moves and flirty smiles. She even spun herself around and around until she got so dizzy she fell over.

Trolley Dolly

Aimee was given a new toy - a toddler sized stroller. Of course she loved it immediately and would not stop strolling up and down my parents flat. When it came to dinner time, she would not let go of the handle and I had to lift her into the high chair with the stroller dangling somewhere below. Of course to Aimee, strolling around is not play, it is serious work, and she is a busy bee.

This weekend I particularly noticed how much she is beginning to mimic a good majority of words anyone says. Most of the time with alarming accuracy. For example when I shouted that dinner was ready to my Dad, who is hard of hearing, Aimee repeated the callout word for word. There were many other examples too. It's very cute. Better mind my swear words though.

Poo watch - the new diet is definitely better for Aimee. She loves grapes. Grapes, grapes, grapes! Also apple (cut into interesting shapes) and even the odd strawberry. Add to this wholewheat everything and we have one very regular child. She still does her straining and holding in trick, but there's no fighting it and eventually, she'll go. Phew! You just don't know how much of an obsession worrying about your kids poo can be!

Too many babies? Pah, just try and stop us.

Some baby news: Congratulations to my friends Ginny and Greg on the birth of their third child (!) Megan Nan. Also, a big congrats to my friends Charlie and Liz, who just had their little daughter, also called Megan. It seems now is the time when all my peers are now onto their second or even third child, with us soon to join them. Sorry nasty spoilsport doom-mongers, who say having too many children is damaging the planet, but we’re having our kids and that’s that.

The Many Faces of Aimee

What's up Doc?

We took Aimee off to the doc to ask his opinion about her interesting toilet habit. Just as I predicted, he offered nothing much other than to say she would grow out of it as her digestive system matures. All we can do is continue feeding her a wholesome diet and encourage her to do the No2. As long as she is not lost appetite and/or complaining of tummy pains, then she is fine.
For me, I would rather she exited than stayed-in so to speak so whenever I catch her clenching, I pick her up and cuddle her. She doesn't like it, but it makes the No2 come out.

Other than that, Aimee is developing her mimicking, dancing, chatting and playing skills with remarkable speed.
Today she counted 1-2-3 and almost repeated "I Love You" which comes out more like "I Wub Wu" but it makes us very happy when she says it.

Swing Time

Without sounding too pompous, a lot of people comment on my photos of Aimee and how good they are. Thanks to digital, what you don't see is the thousands of duff shots I take and the hours of 'setting up' of a scene just to get what I want. Poor Aimee, endures my endless photography sessions with good humour. She loves it now. Give a decade and I'll be begging her just to give a half smile and not hunch her shoulders.
In the photo above, I am just visible, milimetres away from getting my lens smacked by Aimee's swinging. I took about 150 exposures and in the end, only chose about 2 which I posted on the Aimee photo album - link on the right.

Aimees poo situation is getting beyond a joke. She stands there screaming in agony but refuses to let anyone help. Her body contorted in rigidity and clenching like there is no tomorrow. She releived herself in the end, but it took all day. We'll continue to monitor the situation and tweek the diet, but I am reluctant to go the laxative/suppository route. Hopefully it will be a short phase before we begin potty training. Or maybe a portent for worse to come..gulp!

Evacuation denial

Aimee currently has a rather embarassing problem. Let me see, how can I put this delicately without putting people off their dinner...well, Aimee seems to be 'scared' to poo. We thought at first, her rather sparse nappy output was down to constipation. And maybe it was in the beginning. A changre of diet to copious fruit, veggie and 'good' carbs and her gut must be in overdrive. And yet, when the mood to go takes over her, she will stand there and fight it with every ounce of energy. It is a strange sight. Aimee curves her entire body to one side, clenches her backside and forcibly resists any natural instinct to empty her bowels. When we check her nappy, there is only a tiny hint of what should actually come out. It is concerning us, we'll monitor it and consult a doctor if it continues.
On a plus note, we bought Aimee a potty and she loves it. But not to poo in. She carries it around like the seasons must-have accessory handbag!

Bebe

We all visited Cat's friend Julie and Neil today. They have a new baby, just 9 weeks old I think, very tiny anyway, but a really happy chilled out little newborn. For me it was striking to see such a small baby again and reminded me of things to come when our next one is born. The real test came with Aimee, who I wanted to see how she would react to the little baby. I had nothing to worry about, she found the baby adorable, and wanted to see the baby and when she did, she was all smiles and pleasantness. Aimee kept repeating 'bebe, bebe'and making a sort of sleeping gesture with her hands, which I found really cute.
I did half worry that Aimee may not be cool when our new baby arrives, but on this evidence, I think she'll be quite excited.
For the rest of the day, Aimee tore around their house as if she owned the place. Another interesting test I gave her was to walk down the stairs by herself. She passed with flying colours, albeit with the occasional steadying by holding on the bannisters.
Bless our Aimee, she is not a baby anymore.

Monkey say No

One of Aimee’s first proper words was ‘happy’. How lovely is that? I hope she said it because that was how she felt. She certainly hasn’t exhibited any tantrums for several weeks and maybe it was just a short passing phase. Aimee how has an impressive vocabulary of animal noises and some names. When she is concentrating and in the mood, she can actually mimic any word you say, with alarming accuracy. Random words like: cat, hello, bye, car, juice, apple, pear, birdie, flower, computer, TV, dirty, even polar bear! etc. But some words remain stubbornly unreciprocated. Like: monkey. I would have thought it was an easy word to say, and from the various toys and pictures that crop up daily, a recognisable animal. But monkey say no.

Pruning

Poor Aimee. She's had to eliminate tough hard as nails poo for the past month or so. She would strain and scream and strain all day, until finally, hours later, a nugget of brown stone would emerge. We changed her diet, offered much more fruit, veg and pulses with no difference. We even changed her milk. But the prune juice may finally be doing the trick. A third juice with 2/3 water - the added benefit is that aimee absolutely loves the flavour. It is completely unsweetended and, to my palate,a little bland, but aimee will finish an entire cupful, no other juice will do that for her.
Speaking of pruning, Cat went and chopped lumps off the back of Aimee's hair cos the tickling hair was making her scratch her neck raw. She looks kind of odd with shorter hair.

Fresh eyes

Aimee really enjoyed the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. This place is a museum of toys and recently underwent a 9 million pound refurbishment and extension. It is also a great open space to let Aimee run around like a demented loon. We were guilty of feeding her our muffin and some popcorn but I think the thing that got her hyped up was the large amount of freshly squeezed and very sweet apple juice she consumed.

The world seen through toddler eyes is different to adults. In a museum for example, a carefully preserved specimen that has survived decades holds equal fascination to..the radiator next to it. A giant robot that clunks and whistles is fascinating, but so is the stair bannister it is adjacent too. How amazing to see everything in the world as fresh as a toddler sees it?

A WOW day today

Just wanted to write that we spent a really lovely day out together - doing nothing, just ambling around the local street market, having lunch, wandering around. Aimee was on such good form, laughing so much I was worried she had found some happy pills.

Cat has commented that she is amazed at all the many quirky tricks I get up to in my quest to amuse and entertain Aimee. Like the other day, in order to get her to brush her teeth (which scenario sees Aimee normally just sucking the toothpaste and jettisoning the toothbrush) I stuck her toothbrush in my mouth and brushed her teeth just like that. Aimee loved it so much, she let me actually brush her teeth, a rarity indeed.
I have more quirky tricks but they are too many to mention and a bit embarassing for a grown man to admit to as well.

New Aimee words for today: Flower (she says wow-wer) and WOWWOWWOW for police siren.
Oh, and there's 'WOW', for Wow!
You see the theme here?

Baby No2 at 20 weeks

Baby No2 will be...a BOY!

Wham rap!

Bad Aimee rears her ugly head every now and again. Actually more now than again.
Bad Aimee head bangs the floor or the wall in frustration.
Bad Aimee throws her food at me or Mummy.
Bad Aimee ignores what we tell her.
Bad Aimee pokes her finger at Daddy's camera (as pictured).
Oh boy, Bad aimee is one tough cookie!

But we love her all the same.

Bird Girl of Hackney

Aimee loves the outdoors so much, so when finally a bit of Sun came out this weekend, we couldn;t resist the opportunity to have some fun. But Aimee was on her own mission. She tried to chase down every pigeon she could find. 'BIRDIES' she screams at full voice, scattering flocks of feeding pigeons.

The picture here is of Aimee in mid-air as Daddy tries a dangerous and stupid throw-baby-in-the-air trick. But she loves the feeling of flying and begs for me to do more...but my energy can only last so long so I stop after one or two throws.

A place to sit and work

This might surprise some folks, but Cat and I don't buy loads of things for Aimee on a whim. Each purchase is discussed in depth and deliberated in detail over the pros and cons. We pour over the research, we imagine if it has a use or long term value and then...we go and buy it anyway.

The latest example is the table and chair as pictured above. On paper, a needless purchase as she could easily and quite happily do her 'creative' expression sitting on the floor. She also seems to be perfectly happy eating from her normal high chair. But the sheer joy and happiness that Aimee shows when she uses her new table set confirms that this was a wise purchase.

Speaking of purchases. Seems like our Mothercare panic buying early days have actually bee put to good use, as Aimee has used at some point all the baby things we have bought, but also Cat has passed on these various items to her friends with new babies, who in turn will pass them back to us when our new little critter arrives.

My next purchase, which I will have to wait until we move in to our new house, is to get Aimee a mini-truck or car that she can wheel around in. She absoltely adores these things, even if reverse gear is her only direction!

A moment alone

Aimee spent her first weekend apart from us as we decided we needed a break and spent 2 days in Old Amersham. We departed Cat's parents, who kindly offered babysitting duties, I would love to say Aimee threw a tantrum and begged for us to return, but NO, she was quite happy tottering around the house, playing on her new motor truck and generally unaware that Mummy and Daddy were absent. Pah! So much for clingyness.
But it wasn't too hard on us either as during our weekend break, we only talked about Aimee, ooh, about 50 percent of the time, no, make that 60 percent..honest.
And we only called to check on her about 5 times, maybe 6...
Towards the end, we almost forgot what having Aimee around 24/7 was like.
Upon our return, one look at my in-laws tired faces quickly reminded us of how exhausting she can be.

But we had a great time alone, our first for 18 months, and maybe our last - before the newborn comes along.

Animal Farm

Aimee has recently taken to making animal noises. At first it just sounded like a random series of whines and caws, but when I read a book to her, I realised she was 'mooing' like a cow, followed by 'meoooowing'like a cat. Other noises she is getting to grips with include the oink of the pig, cackle of the cockatoo and quack of a duck. Aimee doesn't bother with the Baa of a sheep or neigh of a horse, but several thousand renditions of Old MacDonald may eventually change that!

Back teeth are coming through with a veangence. Poor Aimee, it must be awful.

Aimee self portrait

Justice - Aimee style

Aimee dismembers the croc. Gulp!

Aimee vids

Some recent vids of Aimee antics to raise a smile:

The devil wears a pin striped suit

We found a house. We made an offer. Offer accepted. Bribe money, sorry, er deposit money paid. Got gazumped (Grrrrrrr!), New offer accepted, who knows what next. A shifty profession estate agencing. Anyway, here are some pics of the place. Cross fingers, we may move in come August...

Bumbo

The only cure for bad nappy rash is a bare bottom. But having to run around chasing her in case she did a wee or poo (she did both) with a bunch of tissues is hard work!
Still, I think it seems a natural and liberating experience for Aimee, I guess in most parts of the world, a semi or totally naked toddler running around the home is quite normal.