NCT

Éowyn’s Third Birthday!

Thursday 20th October 2011Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

Less than three weeks after our youngest turned one our oldest turns three. Time is definitely travelling faster than a superluminal neutrino for the Bagnall family at the moment (although the closer you approach the speed of light the more that time dilates so probably not the best analogy – but you get the idea). Again it doesn’t seem five minutes since we were in St. Peter’s hospital and we were looking at our first born through the perspex window of an incubator in the ICU. Not quite as romantic as sitting there with her in your arms but as you may remember she was quickly rushed to ICU after her birth as she was born with pneumomediastinum and hence there was no time for cuddles before she was whisked away. She has not suffered any ill affects due to that initial condition and indeed it has not stunted her growth either physically or cerebrally.

The weeks between Amélie’s birthday and Éowyn’s have been relatively quiet, work has still been busy (although I am now at the start of a fortnight off work) but I have been able to get home at a more reasonable hour each night. (It brings it home to you when you drop your daughter off at Nanny and Granddad’s before heading to work when she asks ‘Daddy, will me and Amélie be in bed when you come home tonight?‘. Sometimes it is hard to remember why you are doing what you do).

Éowyn’s birthday celebrations started the on the first day of my vacation (two days before her birthday proper), with a party at Nanny and Granddad’s with her cousins and Lucy’s family, a kind of precursor to the Badger Moot. It was a relatively sedate affair as the elder cousins keep our two little ones entertained for the majority of the afternoon allowing us to have some adult conversation and actually enjoy our meal for a change rather without the interruptions or encouraging Éowyn to carry on eating. After the meal we allowed her to open her pressies and cards and sang happy birthday to her as she blew the candle out on her Peppa Pig cake. A perfect ending to birthday number 0ne.

The following day was a joint third birthday party at the Egham Leisure Centre’s soft play area with the other couples from our NCT group. We hired the same place last year and so we knew what we were in for. The booking allows you exclusive use of the soft play area and the adjoining room in which they provide party food (Jamie Oliver wouldn’t be happy but chicken nuggets, chips and crisps go down far better than the cheese, ham and jam sandwiches that are also provided). Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz met us there and Auntie Liz brought her face painting case to practise on Éowyn’s cohorts. The two hours seemed to fly by but with one eye on the kids there was hardly a chance to actually have any lengthy adult conversation with the fellow NCT-ees (is that the correct term?).

Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz then followed us back home where Auntie Mary came over to complete the Bagnall side. Again we allowed Éowyn to open the pressies from her Bagnall relatives. She was very happy to be the centre of attention for the second day in a row. It must feel to poor Amélie that she is forever in the shadow of her older sister. It doesn’t seem to bother her though and she is quite unassumingly progressing and will grab the attention of someone in the room and demand that you sing ‘Row, row, row the boat’ to her. Demand is probably a strong word but will encourage by starting you off with ‘Rowrowrow‘. That person tended to be Nanny Fran on Sunday. She has also started to pull herself up onto her legs now, so you have to be careful where you put things, for the number of safe places is beginning to dwindle.

Monday saw Éowyn’s actual birthday and so we decided not to take her to pre-school but Peppa Pig World instead. The weather forecast implied that it was going to be dry if a little cooler than late (probably still average for the middle of October) and so it seemed like it could be the last opportunity of the year (unless we head to Santa’s Christmas Wonderland at Paulton’s Park). The weather forecast (for once) was fairly accurate (apart from a short sharp shower) and we took full advantage of the diminished crowds and managed a significant more of the rides than the last time we went. It didn’t start out too well though for all the way down to Peppa Pig World Éowyn was asking if she could go on the Windy Castle ride. So the first ride we headed to in the park was the Windy Castle ride but as she looked up at the tower she freaked herself out and decided that she didn’t want to go on it anymore. We feared that this was going to be the precedent for the day, fortunately it seemed to be just a blip and she went on every other ride without a second thought. We even managed to enter the Peppa Pig shop and leave without buying anything!

So Éowyn’s three day celebration of her birthday came to a close and once again she was blessed with a multitude of cards and presents, thank you to everyone who sent either or both, it is most appreciated by us and more significantly by Éowyn herself as she becomes more aware of birthdays (and Christmasses) and what they mean (presents!).

Although this instalment is mainly about Éowyn’s third birthday, Amélie has some important news too. Since she has reached the grand age of 12 months it is time to test her milk protein intolerance. We went to see the dietitian yesterday and she has given us a timetable of what to test her with and what to look for. It begins with half a biscuit that contains milk (the milk in the biscuit will have been cooked at a high temperature and therefore changed its shape. In a highly intolerant person the body will still recognise the protein structure and they will have a reaction, more usually the body fails to recognise the protein and nothing happens) and ends with diary being introduced into her diet as usual (assuming she has grown out of her intolerance. Obviously this is a long process especially if she has any reaction to the milk protein (in whatever form) along the way but of course we will keep you informed. The dietitian has also warned us that even though she may have grown out of her intolerance there is a strong possibility that she may just not like dairy products and she has not grown up with the taste or has a deep memory in her subconscious of her early encounters. A little like me with cheese! She was also weighed and measured and now tops the scales at 9.88kg (21.7lbs) in the 75th centile while her length has her in the 98th centile – so another tall child. The weight gain is very pleasing it has to be said for she was born in the 75th centile and before her milk protein intolerance had been diagnosed she had dropped below the 25th centile, so it is good to see her maintaining a good weight.

I shall leave you there and as I am off work at the moment there will hopefully be another instalment in the next week or so. Look for the photographic evidence of my weight loss, you maybe impressed.

Peace and love

Baggie

Comin’ to get ya!

Trying to distract you

This is fun!

Cheese!

Still got my party hat

Half the man I was

Windy Castle

That’s too high!

Everybody walk the dinosaur

Suzy Sheep

Éowyn and Peppa

Peppa and George (and Éowyn)

All aboard!

We are right behind you

It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to

It’s Peppa Pig World

Whee!

Don’t want to go home…

Zonked!

Zonked too!

The ride home was quiet

Amélie’s first holiday

Monday 13th June 2011Sunday 1st January 2017Baggie

I think I have given you a small clue where we have just been. Yes, the Bagnalls have been away from the moor for a week. Éowyn’s first holiday was in Devon (the lovely Noss Mayo); Amélie’s first holiday was the other side of the country in Kingsdown, Kent. We stayed in a triangular (more of that later) lodge in Kingsdown Park. Self-catered as it is so much easier with the little ones and gives you a little more freedom than a B&B or a hotel. We had packed for sunny weather (t-shirts, shorts and sandals) but the good weather, the flaming June, that we had been promised failed to materialise (that will trust me to listen to Lucinda, who had read it in the Daily Mail – need I say any more?). I think we had two days that the sun appeared and one of them was dry. Nevertheless with true British indomitability, steely determination and downright stubbornness we refused to allow the weather to spoil the holiday and donned shorts and headed out to meet the weather full on. It is amazing what you can do with a pac-a-mac.

Kingsdown is on the coast just south of Walmer. If that hasn’t helped you it is South of Deal and North of Dover and if it still hasn’t helped you it is the bit of England that points towards France. We had no reason to chose it over any other town in Kent (and indeed Kent over any other county) we had just decided to go somewhere different and explore a bit more of our wonderful country. The triangular lodges looked a novelty and seemed better that a caravan, posh tent or 1950’s holiday camp. However, after 30 seconds in the lodge you realised why the majority of houses are based on the square (OK. oblong) and hence most rooms are cubes (OK. oblonguloids – not a word? Cuboids then!), because sloping walls greatly reduce the amount of ‘usable‘ floor space and when you are over six feet tall (1.9 metres to be exact) that usable floor space is even less. I lost count on how many times I banged my head, especially when getting out of bed or sitting on the sofa. In fairness to the park though, the layout of the lodges was excellent, and if we had had a sunny week I could have imagined Éowyn would have spent a fair amount of time playing on the green between the lodges and perhaps may have even made friends with some of the other children that were in residence. The staff were excellent and the facilities more than adequate, however both Lucinda and I do not feel that triangular living is for us.

The area of Kent that we stayed has huge historical significance for our country, from Roman invasion sites through to the Second World War; pointing at the Continent as it does it is obviously the first point for entry into our land. Being in the heart of Cinque Port land however was completely lost on Éowyn who preferred the simpler pleasures of the park’s swings and jumping in muddy puddles. (Everybody enjoys jumping up and down in muddy puddles!) Therefore our trip to Walmer Castle, the home (and the place he died) of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley (The Duke of Wellington) was wasted upon her. I think we will have to postpone that subscription to English Heritage.

Again the trip to Sandwich was equally boring for her, until we can across a little nature reserve and there were bags of seed that you could buy to feed the ducks. All of a sudden this was interesting and she didn’t want to leave.

Meanwhile, Amélie was having a torrid time with her teeth and had hardly slept for two nights. Her crying kept waking Éowyn so by day three of the holiday, it wasn’t looking good. We were knackered, had discovered the triangular living was not for us, the weather was appalling, this part of Kent has no analogue transmission of channel 5 (no Peppa Pig in the morning), the digital transmission was so poor that it couldn’t be watched (no CBeebies), and all Éowyn wanted to do was play on the swings, we only had summery clothes and being on diets we couldn’t even pig out on fish and chips or an ice-cream. It wasn’t looking like the best of holidays.

Then there was a break in the clouds and all seemed well with the world. We headed over to Whitstable to meet up with my friend Andy and his dad George. George took us around Whitstable giving us the guided tour and again Éowyn was getting a little bored and then we saw the beach. The beach at Whitstable is a stony beach that slopes steeply into the sea. Perfect for picking up stones and throwing them into the sea. One of the greatest pleasures in life is standing at the water’s edge and throw stones. Myself, Andy and Éowyn did this for nigh on an hour. I think Andy and I got bored with this long before Éowyn, though we kept her company. This was probably the turning point in the holiday. Amélie slept well that night (therefore so did we) and the sun promised to shine.

The next day we visited more friends of ours that live in Kent. Ed and Marisol and their daughter Frieda who we met at N.C.T. classes when we were expecting Éowyn. They have since moved to Cranbrook in deepest darkest Kent and so we rarely see them. Since we were on holiday in the county it was too good an opportunity to miss. We spent the day at their house and were the first guests to sample a meal cooked in their new kitchen. We were honoured. Considering the girls barely know each other, they, on the whole, played nicely together. Although there was a little bit of possessiveness over toys. All to be expected. We took a short walk from their house (in between torrential downpours) to a nearby field to feed some horses. I was a little amazed well Éowyn took to feeding the huge (to her) beasts. Just living up to her name I suppose.

Our final day in Kent was met with more rain. In fact it didn’t stop all day, oblivious to the fact that the news was about drought in the South East of England and the fact that is had snowed on the tallest mountain in Wales (Snowdon). We were at a loss to think of something to do and had decided to go to Canterbury. However, after chatting to the receptionist at the holiday park we opted to follow her suggestion of Wingham Wildlife Park and despite the horrendous weather it was probably the best day out (for Éowyn at least). More than a petting zoo/ farm but not quite a grown up zoo it is an excellent place to visit and I would recommend it to any one. There are free roaming ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, peacocks and wallabies. Walk-in cages with Ring-Tailed Lemurs and Cotton Eared Marmosets. They even have two baby tiger cubs, very cute as well as being the only place in Kent that has penguins (Humboldt’s to be exact). Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would consider going again, hopefully with better weather as many of the animals were sheltering from the rain as much as we were.

I will bore you no longer and leave you with a larger than normal selection of photos.

Peace and Love

Baggie

The Power of Steam

Wait for me!

Next stop Dymchurch

It’s a bit of a squeeze

Everybody loves jumping up and down in muddy puddles

It’s all too much!

The village

Breezy Corner?

This is how you swing

Let me show you how to do it

Let’s all work together

Lady of Rohan

Into the wildnerness

Éowyn feeding the ducks

Nice weather for ducks

Triangular Living

On the climbing frame

Return of ‘The Penguin’

Back in the routine

Sunday 20th February 2011Friday 11th May 2012Baggie

When I first begun this website with the birth of Éowyn I promised myself that I would attempt to update this website once a fortnight. Sometimes those updates are easy, so much has happened and I find it difficult to fit everything in. And then there are updates such as this. That is not to say that we haven’t done anything, it is just that there has not been much of note. So I apologise in advance for any ennui induced by what follows.

The cold and the snows of December seem so far away considering the mild start to 2011 (in the South East of the UK anyway), but not only did it close Heathrow airport for 4 days but also put pay to our NCT group’s Christmas party. We had booked the soft play area of Egham Leisure centre but due to the snowfall decided it would be better not to risk it that day and fortunately Egham Leisure centre were accommodating enough to re-arrange the date for us. That date was last Sunday, so we had our final Christmas party on the 6th February! It was good to see the other dads (the mums get together once a week) but was difficult to strike up any conversation since we always had one eye on what they were doing, or were climbing around the soft play area with them. For those of you unfamiliar with soft play areas, they are basically 3-dimensional mazes with rope bridges, slides, and slopes all padded for extra safety. Excellent fun!

Éowyn has been settling into playbox a little better. Still a little clingy when she is dropped off but has been more chatty and joining in more while she is there. However overall her behaviour has changed since the start of the year. Now whether it is the terrible twos kicking in, influences from playbox, jealous over Amélie, the fact that I am back at work or a combination of all four it is impossible to say. Don’t get me wrong she is not an overly naughty child but she is definitely pushing boundaries. It is ‘I want’ with no manners, she seemingly has forgotten how to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank-You’. She even got told off at school for not saying ‘Please’! Therefore we are employing tough love at the moment and she is not getting anything without asking for it properly. This has resulting is a number of tantrums and even telling Lucinda: ‘Mommy, I don’t want you anymore, go and put yourself in the bin.’ We thought it was quite an amusing phrase but not that we let her know that!

Amélie has begun to take to eating solid food. We have begun weaning her early on the dietician’s advice and at first she was struggling to take her baby rice but not any more. She gobbles her baby rice down but it hasn’t diminished her appetite for her neocate and she is still on her 3 hour cycle. Baby rice may be a favourite but she isn’t taking to new flavours with the enthusiasm that Éowyn did, but then if you had chronic reflux then maybe you would be wary when trying new foods. Her weight (6.3kgs (13lb 14oz)) has seemingly settled onto the 25th centile, so our concern over weight loss has lessened but her reflux is still quite bad. Hopefully after the ultrasound at the beginning of March they will be able to determine what is causing it. We will keep you updated.

Before I leave you to look at the photos just a quick note about the other love of my life: West Bromwich Albion. Roberto Di Matteo has been put on gardening leave and Roy Hodgson has been bought in as Head Coach. For one game (a disappointing 3-3 draw with West Ham United – we were 3-0 up at half time!) in between appointments an ex-player Michael Appleton was in charge and at 34 became the youngest person to be in charge of a Premier League team, remember that for your pub quiz team. I had nothing against RDM (we haven’t been in the relegation zone all season) but if Roy can tighten our defence and keep us up he may have a chance to put his tenure at Liverpool behind him. Come on you Baggies!

Peace and Love

Baggie