Heatwave

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.

Thursday 7th October 2010Saturday 9th October 2010Baggie

Before you think I’ve gone all ‘King and I‘ or going to burst into a medley of Rodgers and (stop) Hammerstein, I was merely trying to think of a catchy title to celebrate that we have, for over a week, been a family of four and are all having to make adjustments to accommodate the new arrival.

Éowyn has adjusted to sharing her parents remarkably well. It helps that I am on paternity leave and so there is always one of us that can lavish attention on her. In fact she is quite taken with her little sister and will often park herself on the sofa with a cushion on her lap with her arm out ready to hold Amélie. Which she will do for a short amount of time until she gets bored or Amélie starts crying.

However, there has been a slight change at night. It started yesterday. Lucinda went up to bed at about 2130 and Éowyn was crying. Lucinda went into her and she was upset and kept saying that she wanted to sleep in mommy and daddy’s bed. I heard the commotion and went upstairs and took over while Lucinda attended to Amélie. I gave Éowyn a cuddle and tried to explain that Amélie was a baby and that when she was bigger that she would be sharing Éowyn’s room. I read her a story and tucked her back into bed and all was good. She woke up this morning and all was right again.

Then tonight. Lucinda bathed her and I read her three stories before tucking her into bed. Her usual routine. (We have tried to keep things as routine as they can be to try and disturb her the least). However, when I cam to tuck her into bed, she began to cry. Again she wanted to sleep in mommy and daddy’s room with Amélie. So, another daddy cuddle and I explained that she was a big girl and that she would see mommy, daddy and Amélie in the morning when she woke up. She surrounded herself with her cuddly toys and went to sleep.

She must now be realising that Amélie is here to stay and can’t understand why she is allowed in mommy and daddy’s room. There is no point getting angry or shouting at her; just reassure and try to explain the situation to her, as best as we can, in a calm voice. We are both very aware, that however much we pity her and don’t like to see her upset there is no way we can ever give in, not even for one night.

During the week, our visitor numbers are low mainly because most of our friends and family are at work and the evening is not a good time to visit when you have young ones to bath and put to bed. Yesterday, however we were visited by a family of swans (actually they were scoping number 73 – see photos below) and more importantly our friends Lee and Caroline and their daughter Georgia. Georgia was born the day after Éowyn so it was interesting to see them react to each other (not play, they interacted but it wasn’t really playing together). There was a lot of possessiveness from both, not malicious but a toy is always more interesting when it is being played with by someone else. Both were very cute though and it was nice to see them give each other a kiss goodbye.

Today, I got the first taste of what it will be like for Lucinda every day when my paternity leave ends. Lucinda had a check up at the doctor’s at 0900, so I was left to get Éowyn, Amélie and myself washed, dressed and fed. I have had trouble with just the last one in the past! Actually I think I coped remarkably well, but it is definitely going to be a strain for Lucinda every day. You can’t rest for a moment. I think I will have the easier part of the relationship heading into work.

We also took advantage of the unseasonably clement weather (temperatures of 21°C) and went for a walk around the Salville Gardens side of Virginia Water. There is a little play area for kids, with swings and climbing frames and a sandpit. So plenty of fun and a good chance for us all to get some vitamin D. Then back home in time for tea and cakes.

I will bid you adieu (to yieu, and yieu and yieu – OK I’ll stop it!)

Peace and love

Baggie

Éowyn’s help

Kiss goodbye

Sleep tight

Destroyer of sandcastles

Mommy and her daughters

What can’t I do with it?

Cheese!

Right lads, no one’s at home!

I sometimes cry

Hiding from the paparazzi

Wish they would go

They’ve gone!

Heatwave!

Monday 12th July 2010Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

And so, after the excitement of a trip abroad and a couple of weeks of the family being together, life settles back to the usual rhythm relatively (and disappointingly) quickly. Work is in full flow for the changeover to HD and the foray into channel launch with associated studio and transmission build. Interesting times lie ahead. As do weeks of longs hours spent away from the family. Myself and Lucinda sat down last night and realised that we only have one day off together between now and September. So bubba nº2 better not come too early.

The weather has been fantastic over the last month with Wimbledon fortnight completed unaffected by rain, but somehow we are never satisfied. It is the summer after all but I suppose although this weather is nice when you are on holiday, when you are trying to work it is another matter. However, this is nothing; when I met up with Sanjiv in Italy he told me that he was glad to be in Italy away from the oppressive heat that they were experiencing in Delhi with temperatures over 45°C. When we were in Italy we were disappointed that the weather was so poor and that it wasn’t hot enough for us to relax by the hotel pool. After a couple of weeks of true summer weather Lucinda especially, can now appreciate the climate in Tuscany. Being heavily pregnant is no fun in hot weather and Lucinda has been suffering with night time temperatures not dropping below 20°C and with no breeze to circulate the air preventing her from getting a god night’s sleep.

Éowyn has been taking full advantage of the fine weather though to play in the garden and splash around in her new paddling pool. We are paranoid about keeping her topped up with sun tan lotion though. She is so fair skinned and both myself and Lucinda burn very easily. At least Éowyn doesn’t mind it and really enjoys wearing her hat. She really enjoys going around Nanny and Granddad’s because their garden is so big and they have a trampoline! Whenever she goes round she makes a bee line for the trampoline dragging anyone that will go with her. Fortunately when her cousins are there they will happily take her there for as they enjoy it too.

Éowyn definitely knows her own mind and will not be easily dissuaded. She has started to use the tears (doesn’t get very far with daddy) and throwing whatever she has in her hands to the ground. It is funny when she hasn’t got anything in her hands to throw for she looks for something to pick up just so that she can throw it to the ground in feigned anger.

On the whole though we are very lucky. She isn’t a naughty child and is quite content to play and learn. As I mentioned in my last update, she is able to count to 10, name her colours, name a wide circle of people, recognise my car and Lucinda’s car, recognise animals and make the sound they make. She has also started to sing a number of the nursery rhymes that we sing to her. (I do use the word ‘sing’ loosely!) When I say sing she kind of mumbles parts of the rhymes and shouts out the words she knows. In fairness to her in the right tune and to the right beat. A little like when you are singing along to a song that you like but don’t quite know the words to apart from maybe the first line of the chorus. Or, for the more religious of you, when an unfamiliar hymn is sung and you join in with the Hallelujahs at the end.

Éowyn has also showed how good a big sister she will be. One of Lucinda’s friends Vereena had her second child Olivia just about a month ago. Lucinda has been to see her a couple of times since we have been back from Italy and has taken Éowyn with her. We were unsure how she would be around a little child but, as with everything with Éowyn , we need not have worried. Vereena sat Éowyn on her settee with a cushion on her lap and placed little Olivia on the cushion. Éowyn was enthralled and kept pointing at Olivia’s eyes and ears and head and calling out the names. When Vereena took Olivia off Éowyn and gave Éowyn as biscuit, Éowyn threw it to the ground in disgust, picked up the cushion, sat back on the settee, placed the cushion on her lap, pointed at Olivia and shouted ‘Baby’. No one was going to have a munch while she was in the room. The second time she went round she wasn’t as possessive but was very helpful. Vereena gave Olivia a bottle and Éowyn wandered off and came back with the Infacol. How she knew what it was for or where it was, we have no idea. Very clever our little one. Then when Vereena was changing Olivia’s nappy Éowyn went a fetched 3 nappies for her. Hopefully she will be this helpful when her sibling arrives.

Anyhow, I have waffled enough I’m not sure how easy it will be for me to update the site over the next month or so, but I will aim for at least one update. Therefore I am placating you with another large group of photos. Enjoy and …

Peace and Love

Baggie

Bouncing with my cousins

Atishoo, Atishoo

We all fall down

Is it a plane?

Of course it is, we are next to Heathrow!

Maddie!

Focus into the distance

Maybe I’ll try baseball

Me and Mommy

Waybuloos!

I gotcha!

Baby!

Looking cute

Éowyn and Georgia

Hand in hand

Hmmm, Ice Cream!

Waterpark on a hot day!

Caroline and Georgia

Mommy's birthday

Wednesday 26th May 2010Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

Another month has nearly passed and Lucinda is a year older (on paper – she hasn’t really aged a year in the past fortnight!) and the UK has seen its summer. It has been a busy couple of weeks!

Life is settling back down to a slight slice of normality at least for a couple of weeks or so. Work is in a lull at the moment before the great upheaval that is about to happen with new channels and upgrades to HD and tapeless workflows. We are still in our recruitment drive but not at the same frenetic pace as it was. This means that I am able to leave on time and see Éowyn and Lucinda every evening (except when I am updating this website!) which is worth a fortune.

To celebrate Lucinda’s birthday we headed to Brighton for a day by the seaside. The weather was especially kind (and only got better through the week!) as we left the confines of the M25 but as we got to Brighton (and the god of traffic jams ensnared us in its metallic web on a number of occasions) we were upset to discover that the South Coast of Britain was not enjoying the same warm weather and bright sunshine that the Capital, a mere 70 miles away, was promising. Nevertheless we are hardy folk and happy strolled around in our shorts and T-shirts. Fortunately we had been blessed with enough foresight to bring a warm set of clothes for Éowyn which we duly wrapped her in. The sun-tan lotion on the other hand stayed firmly at the bottom of the bag.

Since the weather wasn’t great and the traffic had delayed our arrival, we headed straight for Harry Ramsden’s for some good ol’ Fish and Chips via a quick paddle in the sea. Then we headed to the Sea Life Centre to show Éowyn the fish. She really enjoyed herself and particularly enjoyed touching the creatures that they bring to the children. I am not sure that the starfish enjoyed itself as much though for after she gently stroked it and it didn’t do a lot she gave it a real poke in the middle. We quickly moved on.

The journey back was tedious too and we were glad to be back home. A day trip to Brighton is so much more exhausting with a toddler and next year we’ll have two!

After a lovely day with my wife and firstborn I was back at work and then the usual thing happened, that I was off at the weekend and Lucinda was working. Therefore I was primary carer. It was great fun though. The weather was fantastic (peaking at 30°C) and so we could (with hat and suntan lotion) keep popping outside. I cleaned off and re-inflated the paddling pool and we splashed in there during the relative cool of the morning, retiring to the house during the hot part of the day to play Play-Doh and drawing.

Éowyn is in a really fun stage where she is learning at a fantastic pace and is really picking up words (we have to watch what we say!) and stringing them together. So it is fun to teach her new things like the colour of her pens and names of animals. She likes to sing along to her nursery rhymes and do the actions. Her particular favourites are “The wheels on the bus”, “Wind the bobbin up” (as if kids today know what a ‘bobbin’ is) and “Twinkle, twinkle little star”. She is very good at the actions and loudly joins in with the “All day long” bit at the end of “The wheels on the bus”.

The weather has been fantastic, if a little too hot for me (mainly due to the lack of any air movement) but it has brought out bigger badder insects for the new decade. We have had a number of wasps enter the house. When I say wasps I mean more like flying rodents (with stings). They are huge and have to be despatched quickly, for I don’t want them stinging Éowyn. If the wasps are the front line, the sneaky night invaders are the mosquitoes. The intense buzzing noise just as you are about to drop off to sleep must be one of the most irritating noises in the world. A rolled up magazine quickly takes them down, hopefully before they have filled their stomachs with your blood. This is a battle that is quite common in the village, especially since we live quite close to a stream, there is a little lake on our northern boundaries and we back on to the King George VI reservoir. However the invaders for 2010 are bigger and smarter. They must be close to an inch long and have stripes like a tiger, they get short shrift from my rolled up magazine though. So be careful out there.

Before I leave you to enjoy the photos just a couple of special mentions. The first is to Nanny Fran, who is recovering after having an operation on Monday to repair a ruptured patella tendon. She was in and out quite quickly (no beds for an overnight stay!) but will take a couple of months to be back to match fitness. And the second is to our friends Kirsty and Nick who have had their second child Jessica Valentine today (26th May 2010). Congratulations from the Bagnalls!

Please enjoy the photos

Peace and love

Baggie!