Secrets

I've been keeping a secret, not very well because I've probably told at least 10 people by now! It's been very hard but I can't wait any longer and the lovely people who read my blog are now to be told "I'm Pregnant!" Yes really. Personally I don't think it has sunk in yet.

Oh yes the sickness, nausea, burping, bloating and extreme exhaustion have all brought me down to earth with a bump. Looking after a terror tot going through a naughty phase is and has been overwhelmingly awful, thank goodness we've done potty training before the strops and tantrums began, these have now given way to just sheer naughty behaviour!

Little man has entered the next stage of intellect, Why? why? why? he asks constantly and after most requests to perform actions or after each explaination. If you are wondering when it will come it seems to be proceeded by "what's that?" and later "what's that noise?" He knows about our baby who is being called baby pip for now and has asked on several occassions when it be coming. After telling him after Father Christmas has been (January) he now seems to think Father Christmas brings babies and that he will be going to live with Grandma and Grandad when mummy goes to hospital. We've corrected him of course!!

Fears of miscarriage are still floating around, I am yet to have my 12 week scan but I feel confident that all is well and if not then it obviously wasn't meant to be. Also slight worries over the birth bit & whether the labour will shorter than last time. However I am really to consumed with feeling awful to think much into it all at the moment.

I ask if you know me in real life - away from the blogging world to keep the secret safe and to yourself until I have had my scan, just in case there is a problem.

Sir Strop-a-lot strikes again!

Today little man has argued with several children at messy play and tried to take toys off most of them and screamed when he's not got his own way or the desired toy. He had a major tantrum/strop over a toy train and got most upset when we had to put it back in the box and say goodbye to it.

He had a strop when mummy told him off for eating all the cake batter. He stropped when Grandma wouldn't let him go home in her car with her. He also had a major strop outside Tesco when he couldn't sit in the ride on Noddy car as he was strapped in the trolley seat.

Had several strops about being "duck" which translates to stuck in his language or in real life strapped into a pram, booster seat, higher chair or car seat. Refused to eat his lunch and his tea and actually pushed his plate away and said a very definite "NO!" (this one hasn't happened before)

But he didn't have a nap today so he was very tired and therefore after a major "i don't want to have a bath" strop bedtime was much easier and he fell asleep whilst breastfeeding! Wow - that hasn't happened since he was 6 months old. But shock horror - we've done it........

The cot bed is now a bed!!! Last night was hell and he woke up at 5.39am this morning (very unusual for my tot) and refused to go back to sleep, so he got breast milk and plonked in mummy and daddy's bed as it was still night time.

We haven't used a bed guard as the cot bed is only about 30cm high so any fall would be very minimal, however it's all very nerve wracking every creak or groan of the house has me panicking he's fallen out of bed and is running around the landing.

He's also developed an interest in a potty after having a wee on one at playgroup, so that's next to purchase.

To sum up - My little man is really growing up, really. Gosh. Happy and sad at the same time.

Jumping in non muddy puddles!

In order to avoid the 40 minute grizzle after nap time, I took my little man in the house and got him in his appropriately named puddle suit and his wellies. Then in a break between the heavy showers we went for a puddle walk. We just went round our cul-de-sac and there were loads of puddles. At first I had to splash about in the puddles so that little man got the hang of things, he was a bit hesitant but soon was stamping one foot up and down and splashing quite contentedly. He got quite concerned when my tan boots changed to a dark brown colour and I had to tell him it was just wet and mummy was okay. There were lots of sycamore seeds in the water which have fallen off the trees but as they are green they don't helicopter very well. Needless to say little man was obsessed with them.

He called the puddles dudgles or something like that anyway. The sun was shining and it was warm when it did come out from behind a cloud. We could see the water evaporating off car roofs and it was really nice.

Little man also had a "conversation" with next doors cat, through the window! It was happily sunning itself on the window sill. The poor thing can't come outside due to having had some surgery as he's been fighting with other neighbourhood cats. Little man stood there and seemed to be telling the cat all about things and asked him lots of questions then eventually said de-dah and waved at him. Then we went to find more puddles.

On our walk little man was examining the flora and fauna down the paths and I couldn't help noticing the nettles. I wondered how nettle soup tasted, it looks very dark green and although my friend said it was yummy I am concerned about it. Like her son I am quite suspect of green food. Maybe with some Parmesan cheese or maybe not? hmmmm

This year I will definitely go and pick some blackberries I saw growing near the park. Will have to wait for September for those though.

After we went in for milk and biscuits and to prepare dinner. DH came home early and had been given some basic jigsaws for little man from a friend at work. Little man impressed us by pointing to a picture of a bee and saying "bee"! We never knew he knew what one was! He also pointed the things he recognised saying their names and using the baby signing for "duck" and "fish" he has taken to adding "y" onto things so ducks have become duckies and pigs have become piggies. All mechanical vehicles are either di-dis (diggers) or cars. Aeroplanes and helicopters are recognised by pointing to the sky and saying aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!

Little man is doing very well with his talking, he can't usually pronounce the constantant sound at the beginning of the work except for words beginning with b, c, d, g or w. The others become iisshh,(fish) iiiiggg (pig) dick (stick) and so on, probably very much in line with how 17 month olds speak. The best word he can say is roll-roll for a road roller (yes he's obsessed with diggers, machines and trains) it doesn't sound as if we would say it but it's quite comical.

My baby development book says that sometime soon little man will start joining words to make short sentences. This isn't my bible, just a guide I read every now and then. I don't know what they'll be about though!

Shiny Happy People :-)

Today Little man and I met some firemen at playgroup. Lady at playgroup got very excited about organising the event and was squealing about "sexy firemen". I did have to point out that they may send fire women/ladies and also that all the firemen I have met in my life have not been sexy and most have been old enough to be my Dad.

Anyway 5 guys turned up and 2 out of the 5 were youngish and actually quite nice looking. (don't tell DH!) I wondered if one might fit the criteria of "man wanted" (not for me) but couldn't tell how old he was!

The firemen tried very hard to ask a room full of toddlers if they knew what firemen did but most of the children were more bothered with the toy cars and toy kitchen. One guy then put on his firefighting kit and most of children cried!! Little man wasn't very bothered and I was glad when we went to see the Fire engine. Little man got a bit jittery as they had to turn on the engine so the pump would run, he didn't like the noise and was much more interested in his latest fascination - cars!! The car park was full of them. With some gentle mummy persuasion little man went to help hold the hose and was allowed to pull back the lever and squirt the water. Of course, naturally he loved it! He wanted to sit inside the engine but he wasn't allowed.

Back inside he went, back to merrily playing with trains, tractors and diggers and pushing them round on the road rugs. I got 3 nice photos printed for me by the lady from playgroup but I need to get electronic versions. I posted about it on facebook and was thinking very carefully about the wording of "meeting firemen and playing with hoses!" as I didn't want inappropriate comments - but maybe that was an inappropriate thought?!

he he - this is making me think of rose wine, crisps and giggling - mmmm maybe a girly night is in order. Hang on it's been that long since I had one that I don't think I can remember what to do. As for drinking, 1 glass of wine would probably be the limit - quite shocking for someone who used to drink a full bottle quite easily!! I definitely don't drink a bottle a month at the moment! But a glass of red/white or rose is certaintly appealing right now. Maybe I should organise a night out - just need some capital funds first.

Hmmm, yes money very tight right now - having to decline days out and lunches out to try and save money. Spent a lovely free afternoon in the library today and hopefully things will improve soon. Possibly considering employment but we will have to see. In the meanwhile I have set up a website www.glutenfreeideas.co.uk and with the google ad words hopefully this will bring us some income. At least once we move off page 700 of the google search! Meanwhile your homework is to go to my site and click on the sponsered links and browse those sites a bit - I might just get 10p for your effort!

On a completely different note I feel very happy - I have unplugged the TV and little man is only watching it in the morning now. We are having so much more fun and playing lovely games together. I am slowly introdusing him to music, yesterday we had Abba Gold and today Queen Greatest Hits I. You should of seen him dancing to "Another one bites the dust!" classic.

Also note to self - stop talking about your child & childbirth when you go out!!!!!!!!

Growing Fast..

Little man has just gone to bed in a pair of pyjamas for the first time ever. His 12-18 month sleepsuits are getting tight around his feet and I don't want to affect their growth. So thanks to the credit crunch my little man got 2 pairs of pyjamas from Woolies from his Grandma on his first birthday. They were far too big then and I didn't want him to wear pyjamas as was still my baby boy, we have 2 sleepsuits in 18-24 months but both are currently in the wash.

In London at the weekend, little man got a bad case of trapped wind. He woke up crying and nothing would settle him. A dose of mummy milk helped the wind to escape but this upset him just as much! I cuddled him carefully and explained that he had bubbles in his tummy. He then cuddled up to his Daddy and after a few more long, loud farts and pointed to his tummy and said "bub bub"!! wow.

Tonight he made his special star sign whilst we sang Twinkle, Twinkle to him in the bath. He also decided to "sing" along when we sing the "how I wonder what you are" bit - it sounds like woar, waor waor waor but it is amazing. He's also becoming a pro at wind the bobbin up and tonight we taught him head, shoulders, knees and toes as he can now point to all the body parts mentioned in the song.

He can now do so much and we are getting a new word every day. You can ask him a question and he will respond you can't always understand what he says. Usually he says yeah, yeah or no no no.

He's amazing and I love him more than anything.

Back to Reality

Bump! We've ended up back home after being on the M6 for the best part of 3 hours on Monday. Serves us right for going on a bank holiday. The drizzle & rain which arrived on Monday morning persisited throught the entire journey and is still hanging about today.

Today we are adjusting back to normal in a sleepy haze of drizzle. The sleepyness is because little man hated the idea of going to sleep in the caravan on the first night so much that it was 11pm before he went to sleep! Driving him around in the car didn't work and we eventually put him in bed with us and turned off the lights. After being physically abused by a wiggle worm we had to just put him in his cot and leave him to settle himself. The next morning he woke up at 6am - yes little tots do not sleep later if they go to bed later! He has since been having 2 naps a day to try and catch back up!

Today little man seems a bit confused, although is overjoyed to be reunited with his long lost friend the TV! (note to self to stop him watching so much). He is finally asleep now and I've set up the car monitor so I can have my me time.

Little man loved his adventure in Kirkcudbright-shire and so did we. I loved the open-ness of it all up there, the strange combination of yellow gorse and blue bluebells and green grass by the side of every road. The lovely uncrowded beaches where little man built his first sandcastles, experienced shells (he put them on his head??!!) and went paddling in a large pool left behind from where the tide had gone out. The sun was good to us and shone all day Saturday and Sunday with only the occassional shower.

The business of suburbia is bothering me today - I am longing for that outdoor space again, and I am trying to resist going on the internet to look at house prices up Scotland - at least now we have the caravan we can go more often. Just got to save up for an awning now so we can have more space and also so we can invite friends along too.

The new accomodation i.e. the caravan went very well. Slightly claustrophobic in the mornings and you have to keep it tidy for sake of your sanity. The site was lovely and hubby was fantastic playing with little man and getting him to do jobs like help to fill up the water & empty the dirty water. Little man was great and I think the constant new things really helped his development and there were no tantrums at all! I was very impressed that we cooked every meal in the caravan and helped to save the pennies.

Off to upload the pictures....

Still worrying about to be or not to be and desperatly hoping Aunt Flo makes her apperence in the next few days.......

Pacifying plants?!

Well today is my first ever time at writing one of these and I will later see if it has worked!

Today is my 2nd wedding anniversary and my lovely husband surprised my with a lovely bunch of flowers. Very shocked as only expected a card! Despite it being our anniversary the day has been like any other Tuesday with the exception of the visit to the local supermarket which was done yesterday instead it has also been very hard and difficult. Not helped by feeling slightly unwell in the stomache area. Resulted in a bout of tears at about lunchtime.

However a spot of retail therapy buying some plants for the garden whilst my 16 month old son slept in the car worked wonders. One is a rhubarb plant which I hope will grow and give us lots of free rhubarb. The other two are flowers and look very nice - no idea what they are and if I can keep them alive but with my son's passion for watering the garden with his tiny watering can we should be okay!

Was very impressed with my culinary skills for tea. Had a glass of bubbly but will leave the romantic stuff for the weekend as having a whingey toddler flinging spaggettii hoops and mashed potato across the dining room isn't good! Poor thing has a temperature and is teething again.

My son's sunflower is growing like mad and I think it is time it went outside after being repotted. I think it is 30 cm and I am going to try and keep a record of it on here!