You've started nursery...

.... And Mummy is wracked with guilt. Your only doing one afternoon and one morning per week, and in actual fact, I take you late and pick you up early so it doesn't even officially equate to 1 full day, but still I feel so ridiculously guilty. Everyone keeps informing me of how good it'll be for you, interacting with other children and learning new things... But I just can't shift the question of if I'm a bad mother, that I'm choosing to put you in nursery rather than it being a necessity of work? I've not done it selfishly, I can assure you, in fact I spend the hours that your there missing you incredibly and wondering what to do with myself. So much so, that yesterday (your first official morning) I blitzed the house so thoroughly that today I fear if I clean another inch I may risk rubbing away kitchen surfaces or the enamel on the bath. I call a million times to check your okay, and am always assured that you are, when I collect you you always seem relaxed and I'm told of how you played with this and that, how you ate all your lunch and loved playing outside... Surely they don't make all this up??
Yesterday afternoon, after collecting you, we played in the garden, baked cakes, did some painting, walked into the village and had a bubble bath, subconsciously i think i was trying to show you how much i do love you and in some strange way seeking your forgiveness for 4 hours, which in actual fact, you more than likely, thoroughly enjoyed.
Is this an affliction of all mothers, I wonder? An extension of asking to have a shower or use the bathroom when Daddy is around, even though Daddys just go about their daily routine as though it's their right to continue as they please, just jumping in the shower whenever the need takes them, not needing to check that baby will be watched by their other half... Anyway, I digress, but all the Mums reading this will know what I'm talking about.
Yesterday, when I called my Mummy (Grandma), in a rather emotionally vulnerable state having just left you there for the first time, her words of wisdom in response to my feeble "do you think, she'll think I've left her there, Do you think she'll hate me???"
"well I left you at nursery, and you didn't hate me, did you?"

Oh God, I can't remember I might have done??



- love Mummy x

Ocean's Gallery!

- love Mummy x

First birthday, first shoes!

Today, on your 1st birthday, Mummy and Daddy (and Grandma too actually) took you on a little shopping trip and bought you your first pair of shoes, size 3 1/2 G! You were your usual entertaining self, and had the Clarks staff coo-ing over you and your antics within minutes. Other staff members were emerging from the stock room to see the little performer with such a beautiful name. Waving, boo-ing and prancing up and down, lifting you feet adorned with pretty new shoes dramatically high even for a teetering toddler in a tutu, made you hard to resist. You then spent the rest of the afternoon, lifting your feet high in your pram to inspect the new prettiness your feet were fashioning!!


- love Mummy x

Your Christening - 4th December 2011

The 4th of December 2011 was your Christening day, and what a love filled, happy day it was.

Grandma had waited 30 years for this event, and had lovingly kept my Christening gown for you to wear, and how perfect you looked in it.  You took the whole day in your stride, and didn't even cry when you had the water poured on your head.  In fact i think you quite fancied getting in for a swim!!

You even managed to show the congregation your emerging personality by blowing a rather vocal raspberry at the vicar, right at a pivotal moment, thankfully he saw the humorous side.

Your cake was delicious, and not a piece was left by the end of the celebrations.  It was in fact the bottom tier of Mummy and Daddy's wedding cake, re-soaked in sherry and re-iced, after spending the last 2 1/2 years safely taking up half the freezer!!  I have to say it was worth it though - YUM YUM!

Swings, swimming and a doggy!

You've had a very busy week, with lots of firsts.  The most fun of which being your first time at the park, although judging by these photos, you were rather underwhelmed by the whole event, and Mummy and Daddy had rather more fun than you did...I'm sure inside you were filled with laughter however, and you were merely trying to act all nonchalant, in a "oh yeah, I've been to the park loads of times" kinda way!

We also went round to Grandma's house, (which isn't technically a first) but this was the first time you've been at all interested in Grandma's doggy.  I might add, that here you did not act at all nonchalant, and in fact there were squeals of delight as the Doggy panted, wagged his tail and generally did lots of doggy things with gusto.  Now if the Doggy could be slightly less enthusiastic about your arrival, we could go and visit him much more frequently.

And finally, your latest achievement at your Aquababies class, which mummy was incredibly proud of.... we sound like chickens and "kick, kick, kick!" across the width of the mini pool (i am of course holding you, I'm not completely bonkers), and upon reaching the side, with a little prompting from Mummy you "hold on!".  Your face was an absolute picture of achievement when your 2 chubby little hands reached up out of the water and grabbed onto the side of the pool.

"I can do it Mummy, I can hold on - Look at me!" (is what you would have been saying, if you could indeed talk)

40's inspired bride, teepees & a tearful best man!

At just 5 and a half months old you have attended your very first Wedding, and what a Wedding it was.  Rain threatened as the bride entered the church, but when we all emerged after the beautiful ceremony, the sun shone for the picturesque walk down the little lane to the teepee marquees in the back garden of the brides family home.  You were a very good girl during the ceremony, after all you couldn't help the almighty "splat" that echoed through the congregation when you threw up over Daddy's shoulder, it had of course, been Mummy's bright idea to give you a bottle to keep you quiet.  But mayhem did not descend, instead you happily gurgled away to Daddy, whilst Mummy was on her hands and knees in her lovely dress, wiping up the sick!

The teepees were amazingly deceptive, everyone wondered how we would all fit into the funny shaped tents, but when you walked through the entrance they opened up into a vast Wedding wonderland, with a bar and chill out area in the first, then the dining area, ending with the dance floor in the far tent.  Long picnic style benches, with cosy sheepskin throws lined up in front of the top table, and place names were hand written on huge pebbles (which are now happily displayed on our decking).  Twinkly lights wound round the teepee struts, and ornate lanterns set the mood.

You fell asleep during the speeches but I'm sure the groom didn't take offence, the best man's speech was very touching as he got very emotional, so he would have probably been pleased at one less set of eyes on him.  During the groom's speech he said something that has stayed with me since, he said,

"Don't marry someone you can live with, marry someone you can't live without!"

So, little Ocean, when your older (much older), and considering getting married, I hope you remember these wise words spoken by the groom, at the very first wedding you attended.

Thankful Thursdays.

This weekend we visited the Apple Orchard (my nickname for a store that sells the latest computers, which will no doubt seem pre-historic, in years to come when you read this - but are currently the hip and happening things to have), and bought a new computer. It has a fantastic video editing suite which I've started to use, to start putting together some of our many home movie clips. And I can't believe, how much you've grown and changed already.....

So this week I am grateful for the many moments and memories that we are lucky enough to have frozen in time, and that will I know, always lift my spirit and warm my heart.


- love Mummy x

Lincoln, Austin & Princess Elle!

You've had a fabulously busy weekend with your little friends, and Mummy has had an equally fantastic time. You and I, did our longest car journey yet, Friday lunch time, and despite a precarious nappy change on the passenger seat, at the side of the road due to a inconveniently timed stinky poo, precisely 4 minutes into our 2 hour journey, you were a little angel and slept the entire journey, whilst Mummy sang along to the Adele, 21 album (thankfully my warbling does not disturb you).

We had a leisurely (this may be a slightly over indulgent description, but it was as relaxing as a lunch can get, with a 4 month, 10 month, 16 month and 3 year old) late lunch in the sun with Lincoln, Austin, Princess Elle and their Mummies. There were lots of giggles, Elle's "pop"s when describing the noise her buggy harness makes when fastening, Lincoln taking charge and telling Elle off for running about, a cute moment when Lincoln and Elle shared a pack of Jaffa cakes (until Elle dropped hers on the floor in the "dirts"), and a tearful few minutes when Lincoln got stung right on the tip of his thumb by a wasp he had been trying to make friends with, but mostly you just sat fascinated by your 3 little friends and how much they could do, that you desperately wanted to join them in - climbing, running, playing and generally causing playful mayhem!


- Posted whilst out & about

Sunshine, ducks & icepops!

Daddy loves being outdoors and going for walks, mummy didn't used to be so keen (unless there were shops on either side), but since having you, I've started to appreciate, maybe even enjoy, going for a walk. Now, let's not get carried away, I'm not saying you'll find me wandering around aimlessly in the rain, (although there was a recent incident, where I sheltered under an oak tree when caught in an unexpected torrential downpour, on my return from the village) but proudly pushing you in the pram, does somehow make going for walks more enjoyable.

So, seen as the sun was shining, we took advantage, and went to our local national trust park this afternoon. You weren't quite as excited about seeing the ducks as mummy and daddy, and we did feel slightly guilty about our ice pops which of course your too little to enjoy yet, (you had lovely milk instead) but all in all, I think you enjoyed your first visit to the park, and all that fresh, warm air made you really cozy and sleepy and you slept the whole way home.

- Posted whilst out & about