Right now I’m sat in Starbucks typing this alone as my lovely hubby has given me some baby free time so I’m going to start with my gratitude list.

Blessings and Highlights

Being able to sit alone in Starbucks alone for a couple of hours with my laptop typing away to my hearts content (thanks to my hubby) after a hard day stuck indoors with a baby who just wants to be stuck to me all the time (This too shall pass)

Enjoying a breakfast out with my parents and the boys – it was quite chaotic but the boy really enjoyed himself!

Having a lovely day at my mums house with the boys on Monday – watching ‘The Snowman’ with my Mum

Attending the first home birth meeting being restarted in my area

Meeting up with old friends for an afternoon/night out in Manchester – it was lovely to have some good food and drinks and a proper girly chat! One too many mulled wines and some prosecco later and I was in bed for 10:30!

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Watching the boys having interactions together under the Christmas tree

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Challenges of the Week

A beautiful 8 month old baby who’s only happy when stuck to my side – its hard, really hard

A beautiful 8 month old baby who feeds every hour or so throughout the night, every night

Trying to find the time to make all the handmade bits I want to get done in time for Christmas

Trying to find the time to do some things I need to do for work

Things still to do before Christmas

Post the Christmas Cards – They are written, they just need posting now

Wrap the children’s and family Christmas presents

Put the marzipan on the Christmas cake and leave it to settle

Write a list of food we are going to buy for Christmas

Get in touch with people we are going to see over crimbo limbo time to schedule a meet up

Make a CD of festive music for my mums car, for when she’s driving to see us on Christmas eve

Visit the Manchester Christmas markets one last time before they are gone for another year

Find and buy a 2015 diary I like so that I try to get organised for the new year as I’m going back to work after maternity leave – I’m fussy with diaries, I like to have somewhere each day or week to write notes so it has to be just right.

 

 

Mums' Days

Dear Boys,
This last couple of weeks hasn’t been quite as hectic as previous ones thankfully. We’ve settled back into our weekly routine but the time has just flown by again. Boy each day your language is getting better and better, you’re such a mimic though so we really need to watch what we say! You’ve been saying “That’s a funny angle” this week a lot which apparently grandad says, he also says “Watch out the witch is coming” (meaning grandma) that you have picked up on, I’m not sure grandma finds it as funny as I do though! This morning whilst eating your breakfast which had to be a perfect copy of mummy and daddies, which meant you had to have both cereal and toast. You also spent quite a while telling me about not wanting to wear your jumper because it didn’t have any pictures on like your T-shirt does. I remember when you first started putting sentences together you would tell me that “Girls love a batman T-shirt!” It made us laugh so much. You’re always dictating which t-shirt you want to wear each day. Perhaps you’re going to be a fashionesta! We had Flixster Christened last Sunday and you were a little star (apart from when I was asking you to sit down!) You were enjoying the hymns and trying to follow along in the hymn book like everyone else. When it came to the hymn with clapping in you stood in front of everyone at the front of the church and tried to make them all clap by shouting each persons name…..Grandad CLAP!

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We had an indoors day as well this week on Friday as neither of us were feeling great, I think you picked up a bug from nursery and passed it on, you stayed in pyjamas all day which you loved! You were so well behaved as I really wasn’t feeling great and I had both of you to look after but we survived the day and made it through to daddy coming home.

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Flixster you have been a little star as always this week, you’re such a chilled out baby and will go with the flow on most things, the complete opposite to how your brother was at this age or maybe it’s my memory, but I’m sure the boy wasn’t as settled as you are. He did however only get up once a night by 6 months (I didn’t realise how lucky I was!) you are still up 4 or 5 times a night, but I know it’s normal and won’t last forever. I know it’s protecting you from SIDS and that you just need the comfort of my my being there, you’re still so small. I do wish though that you wouldn’t treat 3am as playtime each night! I really could do with some gentle ideas of how I can persuade you not to do that every night. I do love the closeness and snuggles we have and will miss them once you are in your own bed. I am looking forward though to being able to clatter around the bedroom at night with the lights on rather than tiptoeing around in the dark looking for pj’s and avoiding stubbing my toe, and being able to chat to daddy without him saying “what?” In his loudest whisper voice over the top of the white noise. You almost rolled over last weekend from back to front and have been trying hard all week to do it again. We’ve had a busy week together while the boy has been in nursery with lots of groups and classes to get to, you really enjoyed the ‘Tranquil Baby’ class which started this week, especially when the bubbles started to fall.

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For the next couple of weeks we’re doing baby yoga in that class which sounds like fun although I am so inflexible we will have to see how we get on, it will be funny if nothing else! There was one night this week you slept form 7pm until 2am when you woke yourself up after a coughing fit, I’d love to know how long you would have gone on sleeping if the coughing hadn’t started. Its the first time in your whole life you’ve slept that long, I could have jumped for joy….if it hadn’t been 2am. Please please please can we have more of those nights?…..Just as I typed that you started crying in bed, you’ve only been there an hour, I’ve managed to resettle you with some patting and gentle singing. I guess when evenings are hard work I just need to remember the calories I’m burning, running up and down two sets of stairs. Its hard work now but I wouldn’t have it any other way, I’m sure in time your sleep will improve. (Fingers tightly crossed!)

Please always remember that I love you unconditionally….forever.

Mummy x