Model dinosaurs
Yesterday we took a trip to Crystal Palace to see a craft market and visit the park. The market was a little disappointing (with about 4 craft stalls) but thankfully we picked a day when there were some “Sell it Mama!” stalls selling second hand baby clothes and toys. We picked up some clothes for Sam and headed off to the park to look at the model dinosaurs.
You can see pictures from the park here.
Jessica found Sam happily trying to doze in his bouncer the other day – notice how he still bounces slightly in his sleep!
Jess and the cake
Last weekend Jessica had another of her 27th birthdays and celebrated with a BBQ at our house. A host of family and friends turned out and we all had a really good time. I made a chocolate hedgehog cake that I remember from my childhood and I am considering publishing the recipe here so others can try it.
I’ve been desperately trying to finish the new photo gallery in time for Jessica’s birthday and I’m pleased to announce that it is now finished and freshly loaded with pictures from the party. You can access it using the link on the right or from here.
Happy Birthday Jessica x.
A masterpiece
I got back after Sam’s bedtime on Sunday so we celebrated Father’s Day today instead. Samuel had been busy, buying me some of my favourites chocolates along with a mug and something to soothe my aching feet. I was particularly impressed with the card that he’d literally had a hand in. As you can see on the left, Samuel did his first bit of painting especially for me – his Mum added the lettering.
This afternoon I took Sam for his first trip to the swimming pool. Initially he was a bit overwhelmed and sat fairly stationary in the water looking around at the massive unfamiliar bath into which he’d been placed. It didn’t take him long before he was splashing and kicking water just like he does at home. He did really well and spent 20 minutes in the pool before being towelled off and given a bottle. I look forward to taking him swimming again as he seems to really enjoy it.
Here’s a video of Samuel when he was a little happier. He’s a bit snuffly and grumpy at the moment as his teeth are coming through, hopefully he’ll be back to his old self soon.
Boo!
Samuel is growing fast and I just wanted to boast about a few of the latest developments. He is now much better at sitting unaided, but we still have to keep a careful eye on him as he occasionally topples over. Sitting periods can now be measured in minutes instead of the ten seconds he used to manage.
Vocally he is now able to string together ga, goo, and da to make some convincing sentences. Occasionally I hear da-da but we are still waiting for the magic day when he actually means to say it. When he gets really excited we still have to suffer ear-splitting high pitched squeals and I sometimes worry that the neighbours will mistake this for something else and call social services.
Finally we have the teeth… we’ve waited a long time but we had noticed that the amount of chewing had increased dramatically over the weekend, and today we found his teeth are like busses – you wait for ages and then two come along at once. The teeth are only just poking through the lower gum but Samuel demonstrated how effective they were by biting Jessica on the nose. I’ve got load of videos and photos that I need to upload – hopefully I’ll get some time soon.
Cutting the tasty cake
Jessica, Samuel and myself were honoured to be guests at my sister’s wedding last weekend. Nick graduated from funkle to uncle and I gained a brother-in-law. Everything had been meticulously planned by Cara and it all went off without a hitch.
There was a tea theme to the wedding (that Jessica really approved of) and we were on the Earl Grey table which featured a cup fully of jelly bears to keep us going in between courses. The ceremony itself was short but sweet and unfortunately Samuel had to watch through the glass doors as he was a bit upset to be losing a funkle.
Samuel was very excited to see so many people in one place… he barely slept and was careful to smile at everyone he met in case there was a possibility of recruiting new minions. This was Samuel’s most complicated trip to date and I am pleased that we all coped with it well.
All in all it was a great event, Nick is a really nice guy and I welcome him into our family.
From the top...
Steve was kind enough to organise a trip to Xscape (Milton Keynes) last Friday and I went along to see if I could still ski, a year after my first experiences in La Plagne. We went straight from work and hit a jam on the M25 where Steve had to tolerate me and Chris telling him the current traffic status using our iPhones.
We grabbed a quick bite at Wetherspoons and then went through to get our equipment. You always need to be ready to disclose your weight when you go skiing as they need to set the ski bindings up correctly. After revealing this embarrassing fact and collecting my skis I was ready to tackle the slope.
They had a snow plough too!
The slope would only rank as part of an easy blue run but it still looked a bit daunting for someone who hadn’t been skiing for a year. The run-off area at the bottom of the slope was quite short and there was no chance of starting on the easy slope as it was in use for lessons. In the end the first run down was fine and I managed to get through the whole evening without falling over. Chris’ first run was a little different – he got right to the bottom of the slope before he spotted one of his beloved safety fences and fell over in his excitement.
We ended up with about 3 hours of skiing taking a brief hot chocolate break in the middle. I was satisfied that I had remembered most of my skiing lessons but still felt like I was getting in the way of everyone else (mostly snowboarders). I’d recommend the experience though, and might have to visit the one in Leeds sometime.
Thanks again the Steve for organising and chauffeuring us to Milton Keynes and back.
Sadly I have to announce that today Fidget came to the end of her two year life. She hasn’t been herself since an ear infection spread to her brain a couple of months ago. We don’t think she was suffering a great deal of pain as she wasn’t squeaking. I’ve found this footage of Fidget as we’ll remember her – a very inquisitive little hamster.
Hi,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted because me and Jessica have been suffering from a cowardly stomach bug. First it got Jessica and then a week later it got me too. Anyway, I’m finally eating proper meals again and am well on my way to almost full (we do have a young child) capacity.
What are you looking at?
Speaking of Sam, we tried to start the weaning process today by giving him a bit of baby rice. He has been taking a great interest in the eating habits of his parents and will sit there in shocked silence whilst we consume a meal. Lately he has taken to ‘chewing’ whilst out in the buggy or lay in his cot and we can only assume he is imititating us.
So, we decided to try the baby rice, but did he chew when we gave it to him… of course he didn’t. He accepted the rice into his mouth and then waited for it to fall out again which can clearly be seen in the picture. We’ll keep trying and I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it soon. I had expected a little bit more from this milestone but hopefully he’ll start to play with the food more and will be doing better next weekend.