2012

100,000 words and bipedal motion!

Baggie

We have seen 100 posts, we have seen 100,000 hits and now we have hit another milestone 100,000 words (total words across all posts and pages).  Yes this website now has more words than the average novel.  Impressive ne pas? I never realised I was so verbose or that so much has happened to this enclave of the Bagnall clan over the last 40 months or so.

However, that is not the greatest achievement since the last update.  For the greater accomplishment is that my second child can now be truly classed as bipedal.  Yes, last Thursday (19th January 2012) Amélie just decided to stand up in the middle of the floor and walk.  Not just one or two steps but half a dozen.  The encouragement that she received spurred her on.  Within minutes that total was up to 11 and by the end of the day had nudged that total up to 12.  I suppose because she has been cruising for so long her legs have the strength to support her, she has the balance to carry herself but she is just lacking the confidence to continue.  It will come, with encouragement it will not be long before she will leave her crawling days behind her.  She will happily hold your hand and walk for yards and hopefully the more we do this the more this will give her the confidence to strike out on her own.

Now usually on Thursday morning I would be at work, however I still had a number of days left over from last year’s entitlement to use by the end of January and therefore, fortunately, I was at home on annual leave for the week. It was good to spend some time at home but it wasn’t the most exciting of times (apart, obviously from Amélie’s first steps!).  Lucinda took some time off too but with Amélie already booked to go to Jo’s and with Éowyn still at playbox myself and Lucinda had time to off together but there was no time to enjoy that for we decided that we would attempt to straighten the house after the Christmas period.  Not that the house needed that much straightening but it was more an opportunity to go through the kid’s toys and either take the ones that they never play with down the local charity shop or put away the ones that they have outgrown.  Then finding space for them all, either in the toy boxes (yes plural), Éowyn’s bedroom or just tidied away.  It felt good to get back some of the house!

We also managed to take advantage of my tastecard (for the first time!) and go for lunch, which was good to spend some time as a couple rather than a mommy and daddy, although there is still that little voice in the back of your head saying, Keep an eye on the time, you have to pick Amélie and Éowyn up.  On the Thursday we also managed to invite friends of ours, Neil and Emma, around for an evening.  So we managed to put the girls to bed early (not that early but early enough for us to enjoy our evening) and to their great credit they went down and we heard not a peep out of them all evening.  It was good catching up with friends especially Neil and Emma who we hadn’t seen in over a year.  It is amazing how quickly time passes us by and if truth be told we have a long list of friends that we have not seen in over a year, something that perhaps we need to rectify in 2012.

We also took advantage of the time off to head up the M40 to West Bromwich and Nanny Fran.  Éowyn gets very excited about seeing her Nanny Fran, so much so that she didn’t take advantage of the 120 mile car journey and sleep but rather stayed awake for the entire journey asking the epitomic question ‘Are we nearly there yet?‘  They start early don’t they?  However this tiredness manifested itself as grumpiness and misbehaviour, so there were a number of trips to the re-instated Thinking Step.

In fact, there has been quite a number of trips to the Thinking Step of late.  After many months without even the threat of a trip to the Thinking Step, Éowyn has been a regular visitor of late.  There are a number of reasons for this, namely: She is doing 3 days a week at school, plus trips to her childminder’s so she is missing her afternoon nap (I know the feeling) and getting tired and when she is tired she gets grumpy and her behaviour get worse; Amélie is getting a lot of attention of late, especially with regards to the encouragement that she is getting with her walking and her increasing vocabulary, so jealousy plays a part; She gets influenced by the behaviour of other children (as all children do) so making sure that she realises that just because her friends do it, it doesn’t mean that she has to (I think that is going to be a battle for many years to come!); and I have been working some long hours so she doesn’t always see me and Lucinda has, obviously, returned to work so she is not always seeing Lucinda either.  Plus she is probably just going through one of those phases where they try to push the boundaries and see what they can get away with, which is going but it puts pressure on us to keep the boundaries well defined.

Despite her frequent forays to the Thinking Step Lucinda treated Éowyn to a special day out last Wednesday.  A Peppa Pig live stage show was enjoying a run at Richmond Theatre and so Lucinda and Éowyn and her friend Christine and her daughter Arabella took the short trip down the A316.  Éowyn was completely enthralled by Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt (a puppet show) in complete contrast to the last live show that she saw which was the In The Night Garden live show, so much so that at the interval she got a little upset that it was over.  I think this is because, unfortunately, between booking the In The Night Garden tickets and actually going Éowyn grew out of the phase and was no longer interested in the antics of Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy (not to mention the hosts of other similarly named characters).  Now, Peppa Pig is a different matter, it is by far her favourite show and with trips to Peppa Pig world and a bed full of cuddly Peppa Pig characters I think it will stay her favourite for a few years to come yet.

Unfortunately I must end this update on a sad note.  My Great Uncle Albert passed away just after 1505 on Friday 27th January 2012 aged 90.  He had been ill for a little while and while the loss of any one is always sad in some ways his passing is a blessing.  Uncle Albert was my materal grandmother’s brother and was an inspiration.  He gave me my first paid job (in the despatch department of Accles and Shelvoke packing slaughter equipment: bolt stunners and cartridges) the summer after my GCSE exams.  He also ignited my interest in genealogy, tracing his own family tree back to 1546.  He also typed (with one finger and a lot of correction fluid) his wartime memories dubbing himself (in his self-depreciating style) Churchill’s Secret Weapon on an old manual typewriter.  The reasoning behind his monicker was that shortly after he completed his training the war in Europe ended.  Then, as he set foot in Asia (he was posted in India) the war in Asia ended.  Obviously, the enemy did not want to engage Albert Wyton in battle. He is now at peace with his wife of 64 years (my Great Auntie Iris), sleep well both, reunited in love.

Peace and Love

Baggie

Great, Great Uncle Albert and Éowyn Vera
You can have this Uncle Albert
Great, Great Uncle Albert and Amélie Iris
I’m gonna get you!
Come back!
And Smash!
Keep watching…
Whey-hey!
Nothing happened
I defeated you with this spoon
Sisters!
Mu ha ha ha ha!
Emotional phonecall part IV
Big cheeky grin
Mommy and Éowyn
The power of the iPad
Kiss the iPad!
This is as good as an iPad

Where is this year’s snow?

Baggie

So before we know it the mid-January hangover is upon us.  Christmas is a distant memory (apart from the collection of new toys strewn across the lounge floor) and Summer an eternity away.  Not that this Winter has been that hard, forecasts in the Autumn were indicating it was going to be a harsh winter, but hey weathermen and meteorologists have been wrong before.  The jetstream is sitting much further north than the last few years hence our winter (at least for the southern portion of the UK) has been much warmer than recent years, shame really as I enjoy a bit of snow.

So what has been happening in the Bagnall household in the first part of 2012.  Well it is a case of getting back into the old routines.  Éowyn now goes to school 3 times a week.  She has only be back at school for one week so it is hard to say exactly how she is coping with this.  Unfortunately, Lucinda’s work days fell mid-week on that week so not only did Dad have to take her to school each day, she was at Jo’s (the childminders) on one of the other days and we had to ask Lucinda’s dad to pick her up on two of the days.  Therefore she has not spent too much time with Lucinda this past week (which is unusual and I think she has missed her Mommy).  Éowyn loved being picked up by her Granddad because Lucinda’s dad has a flat bed truck and so, as three year old, it was one of the most exciting things that could have to have to ride home in the cab of Granddad’s truck (she probably will not think that in 10 years time!) and when we told her that on Friday that Lucinda would pick her up from school, she said, ‘Can Granddad pick me up in his truck?‘ which no doubt delighted Lucinda’s dad but is a bit of a kick in the teeth for Lucinda and me.

The main news though from the Bagnall household is the fact that Amélie has been discharged from the paediatrician.  As you know when she was first born she had severe reflux and wasn’t feeding correctly.  With hindsight it was probably part of the same problem: cow’s milk protein intolerance but at the time both aspects were being treated.  She therefore was given drugs to help lower her stomach acid and relax the stomach to help prevent reflux and she was tried with a variety of artifical milks until we hit upon Neocate (which she is still on).  The reflux went away but was that the drugs or was it the fact that her body wasn’t being poisoned with a chemical it couldn’t handle (the cow’s milk protein!).  The Cow’s milk intolerance is being treated under the supervision of a dietician while the reflux was treated under the supervision of the paediatrician.  As we suspected, it appears that the reflux wasn’t caused by any physical issues with Amélie’s digestive tract and was more than likely due to the intolerance.  However, we are extremely grateful that we were taken seriously and she was fully investigated and now given a clean bill of health.  We just have to hope that she grows out of the Cow’s milk protein intolerance, and we will be testing her for that again soon.  The intolerance has not made her a fussy eater though and she has quite a prodigious appetite, quite often eating more than her sister!

Amélie is still not walking unaided, however Nanny Fran bought her a pushchair for Christmas and she can motor along with that at a fair pace.  It is not just in straight lines either, if she wants to turn around or take a sharp left then she swings that pushchair round and tootles off in the new direction.  I think that it is just a matter of confidence and as soon as she realises that she doesn’t need to hold onto something then she’ll be off.  However, for some reason she doesn’t like a doll being in the pushchair and a squashy green ball seems to be her favourite passenger (you can see it in the photos below).  Her vocabulary has also started to increase and I don’t think it will be long before she will start surprising us with words.  She has always been a little chatty and will gurgle and mumble away to herself quite merrily (sometimes at 0300!) but the other day she drank her milk and handed me the bottle saying ‘Here you are,‘ or as close to that for my ears to interpret it that way.  I know my place.

It is strange how the two sisters are quite different in temperament.  Amélie is far more laid back than her older sister but at the same time quite cuddly and will wander over to you give you a kiss and cuddle then go back to whatever it was that she was doing beforehand.  She doesn’t seem quite as intent on sitting down and learning but will quite happily play with you without need of the television.  Éowyn is much more independent (when she knows that you are about) and will rarely give you a spontaneous cuddle but if you are not about she can get a little anxious and is always glad when you are back.  She is always keen to learn and to impress you with what she knows (doesn’t that remind you of anyone?) but will easily waste an afternoon watching a film or just banal television (again, like anyone you know?).  Éowyn does like her home and her home comforts especially when her parents are about.  Lucinda picked Éowyn up from school last week and she said, ‘Are we going home?  I like being at home and when Daddy is there it is the best place in the world!‘  The little sweetie!

I currently have a week off work (using up the remainder of last year’s leave entitlement) and Lucinda has done the same, so it really will be the best place in the world when they get back from school and Jo’s.  It is not all that exciting for Lucinda and me though as we are trying to fit all the new toys into our already crowded house.  There is a lot of consolidation going on and toys that have not seen the light of day or they are too old for are either heading down the charity shop or being boxed up and put in the loft.  To be honest it is probably something that both Lucinda and I should be doing to our own stuff.  Kids first!

Not the most exciting set of photos below but it is January and the year has only just begun.  Hopefully none of you suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia and if you did you managed to survive last Friday unscathed!  If you do suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia (or paraskevideatriaphobia as it is also known), then 2012 is probably a bad year for you as there will be 3 this year, so keep an eye on April and July!

Peace and love

Baggie

Me and my old friend Mr Snowman!
Bye bye Mr Snowman, until next year!
Like my new hair?
I like breakfast!
I like toast!
I like spaghetti
Cheeky smile!
Can I have my ball please?
Camera, please!
Dinnertime’s great!
Nothing to see here…
You can’t see me!
Don’t stop me now!
Like my hat?
Or an Angel with a wand…

2012

Baggie

Another year begins and if any of the apocalytophiliacs are correct it will see the end of the world.  Pure poppycock but judging by the amount of books generated, television programmes produced and even films directed there are a lot of people out there who believe it.  For any of you that don’t know what I am talking about apparently the world will end around the winter solstice this year (2012).

What is this based on?  Well apparently the winter solstice 2012 marks the conclusion of a b’ak’tun (the 13th – which is probably why many Westerners have such an easy time believing something bad will happen), a time period in the Mesoamerican long count calendar equivalent to 5,125 years, (in truth the precise end of this b’ak’tun is in dispute as it is not a precise art to deduce when the b’ak’tun began).  So the Maya believed that this would mark the end of the world?  No.  There is no suggestion that they even viewed this more momentously than the turn of a year.  So where has the ‘Mayan 2012’ prophecy industry germinated from?  Probably it says more about our own Western Apocalyptic view of the world, with a Newtonian view of time as an arrow without any understanding of the meaning of time to the Maya or comprehension of their culture.

Maybe I am being a little dismissive.  There is one stele in the relatively obscure provincial town of Tortuguero that mentions (it is the only mention) of the end of the 13th pik (b’ak’tun) unfortunately there is a large chunk of it missing and so anything that anyone infers from the remaining words is open to a large dollop of conjecture.  If you actually read peer-reviewed translations of the stele, you get a completely different picture to most airport paperbacks. ‘[On 13.0.0.0.0] will happen, the witnessing/attending of the display of Bolon Yokté in the great impersonation (envelopment in costume and regalia).‘  For me this is reminiscent of a more contemporary source: ‘Say, say, two thousand, zero, zero party over oops, out of time.  So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s nineteen ninety nine.‘  Now Prince could be a time travelling Maya from the planet Nibiru come to save the world with his purply music (and if anyone sees a book on that in their local shop – that was my idea!) or perhaps you will still need to buy Christmas presents this year.

If you need any more convincing then there are many inscriptions mentioning future events and commemorations that would occur on dates beyond the completion of the 13th b’ak’tun.  On the west panel at the Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque refers to the 21st October 4772 A.D. another at Coba gives an impossible date that is 41 octillion years in the future (this date is 2 quintillion times the current estimate for the age of the universe).  So let us not get dewy-eyed over the infallibility of Maya prophecies and hope that the 1000 or so (I wonder if there are as many as 2012) eschatologists that have written about the 2012 apocalypse have put enough of their savings away to see them into their old age.  Then again, they maybe correct and if they are then there will be no one around to tell me ‘I told you so!’  Win/win for me then.

So what will 2012 bring for this little enclave of the Bagnall family? And what have we taken from 2011?

2011 has been an interesting year (and not in the Chinese curse kind of a way) we have adjusted to being a family of four.  We have learnt all about milk-protein intolerance.  We have survived the terrible twos (for the first time) and we have discovered the beauty of a Merlin Pass and the joys of Peppa Pig and Peppa Pig world.  We are still in the process of adapting to the four of us being in different places at the same time.  Which usually means Lucinda getting up at the crack of dawn to start her shift at the airport, then me getting the girls up and dropping one off at the childminder’s and the other at pre-school before heading into work.  With Lucinda doing the opposite after working her shift to pick them up and get an evening meal ready for when I arrive home (unless it is a late one for me, then Lucinda has to put them to bed).  It is something that countless other families do up and down the country and I, now, struggle to understand the amount of hours I must have wasted when I was single or when it was just Lucinda and me.  The amount that we (have to) manage to squeeze into a day (although we always need more time) is significantly more than before we had kids and it feels like work and chores tend to just get in the way.

We have also learned that no two children are the same – even (and some might say, especially) sisters.  Éowyn was much more forward than Amélie, crawling and walking much earlier than her younger sister.  Now this could be that Amélie had a bad start, for her milk protein intolerance wasn’t diagnosed very early (although much earlier than some – thanks once again to Kate our Health Visitor) and those first few months must have been agony for our little one.  For when every meal that you have is causing you so much pain that it prevents you from sleeping however the urge to eat overwhelms the memory that food will cause you pain, the last thing you feel like doing is exploring this evil place.  Then once this condition is recognised and now you can enjoy your food, Mum and Dad have the kitchen ripped out, followed by the flooring in the lounge and dining room so there is nowhere for you to practise your crawling.  Plus, what is the point in wasting valuable energy for all you have to do is cry and an attentive big sister will go and find something to entertain you.

Amélie is far more laid back than her sister and has never been as clingy as Éowyn was, and to some extent still is.  Whether this is because Éowyn had our undivided attention as she was exploring the world, while Amélie has always had to share us.  Or whether it is just as parents, we are more laid back with the experience of three or so years under our belts and subconsciously that relaxation is felt by our youngest.  Or maybe it is just in the genes perhaps we will see as she develops over the coming year.

The other major lesson learned in 2011 was how to diet.  Lucinda joined Slimming World and as a dutiful husband I agreed to support her with her dieting and so did the same regime.  However, the competitive side of my nature took over (which has actually been good for both of us) and we have lost nearly 6 stone (84lbs/ 38kgs) between us!  That is impressive in anyone’s book.  It has meant that we have both had to buy new wardrobes (clothes – not actual wardrobes that would just be silly).  So if you haven’t seen us in a while you might not recognise our new svelte figures.

So what can we expect from 2012?

Obviously, the macro-economic situation is going to dominate the news and global events and one hopes that it doesn’t have a direct affect on one’s own personal economic situation.  But that notwithstanding (and to be honest there is not a lot I can personally do about the possible breakup of the Eurozone and the unravelling of the debt mountain that the world finds itself in) it will (hopefully) be business as usual in the Bagnall household.  Éowyn will move to 3 days a week at pre-school at the start of the year and we may be thinking of introducing Amélie to pre-school at the end of the year.  We will be testing Amélie’s cow’s milk protein intolerance early in the New Year and hopefully she will have grown out of it, or we need to be prepared to accept it for longer (if not life).

Éowyn keeps asking about going on a ‘plane again and so we may pluck up the courage and take two toddlers on a plane.  It is not necessarily the act of taking them on a ‘plane; it is more the paraphernalia that one has to take on such a trip.  It also makes it all very expensive, with 4 tickets, something we are just going to have to get used to I suppose.  Interestingly, this year Lucinda and I will have been married for 5 years, which is traditionally celebrated with a wooden gift however the modern travel anniversary present is airline tickets so maybe it is a sign that we should pay a visit to Heathrow Airport (it is just round the corner after all).

A little personal project I have set up has been given its own website.  Baggies Projects will be a forum for me to explore a couple of things that I have been meaning to do for some time.  Now I am not saying that there will be useful insights, or even far reaching conclusions that will change your life when you read this new website.  That is not what it is about.  It is simply a channel (project zero if you like) for me to explore some of things that often crop up and are never allowed to bear fruit.  Some may develop and warrant a website all of their own, others may wither and die a forlorn (but public) death but at least they will all be given the same opportunity to flower.  Hopefully it may even inspire some of you to do the same.  Then again, Strictly-come-X-factor-in-the-jungle is on.

If, for any reason, either this website or Baggies Projects have inspired you to start your own website then may I recommend WP hosting as a medium for your projects.  They offer a simple one-stop shop for all your website needs.  Register your domain, WordPress install and hosting in one simple place.  Think it is too complicated then they can help too, either directly or with many self help tutorials on their support pages.  So go on, it’s 2012 what are you waiting for?  If I can do it…

So all it leaves me to do, it wish you all a Happy New Year and paraphrasing a traditional Irish Blessing: ‘May the 2012 bring the warmth of a home and hearth to you, the cheer and goodwill of friends to you and the hope of a childlike heart to you.‘

Peace and Love

The Bagnall Family

Happy New Year from the Bagnalls
Happy New Year from the Bagnalls