Snow

November comes and November goes, with the last red berries and the first white snows

Saturday 4th December 2010Sunday 5th December 2010Baggie

When I chose that quote by Clyde Watson a couple of weeks ago for the last post in November (didn’t quite make that), I had no idea how portentous it would be. The heaviest November snow for 17 years, the coldest November temperature since 1985. Looks like we could be in for a cold winter.

Currently I am on three days weeks. No, we have not returned to the dark days of the 1970’s (well not yet anyway) but because I am trying to use up my annual leave before the end of the year. Not as easy as you might think. And not actually as enjoyable as you may think. It is great to spend more time with the family but I have to try to squeeze 5 days of work into 3. OK, put the violins away.

Our health visitor, Kate, has continued her visits to see how Amélie is progressing. As you know, Amélie has been quite disturbed, very sicky and colicky since birth. Trying to track it down means eliminating one thing at a time. Although this may sound like we are just trying to have an easy ride and it is something that all babies go through, Amélie’s weight chart tells a different story. When Amélie was born she was in the 75th centile, this has progressively dropped, so although she is putting on weight it is not at the rate one would expect. In fact, she is now below the 50th centile and still hasn’t broke through the 5kg barrier. This obviously is concerning us, and we have been in regular contact with Kate about this. Unfortunately, with all these diet related things you have to keep trying to eliminate what it is by trial and error. Hence we have used Infacol, Colief, Gaviscon, Breast Milk, Formula, different manufacturers bottles, different teats all to no avail. After consulting with a dietician Kate (and we) believe Amélie to be Milk Protein Intolerant.

Cow’s Milk Protein Intolerance is different to Milk allergies, and Lactose intolerance and is something that the majority of babies grow out of by the age of three. It currently means that Amélie has to have artificial milk powder given on prescription. If Lucinda wants to continue to breast feed it would mean cutting out all milk protein from her diet. No milk, cheese and yoghurts as well as food such as chocolate, biscuits and cakes for they also contain milk protein. For Amélie’s and Lucinda sake it is probably much safer to stick to one source. We are still giving her Gaviscon in the feeds since her stomach has more than likely been inflamed by 8 weeks of milk protein and the Gaviscon will hopefully ease the pain of eating. We have to say that the support given to us by Kate has been fantastic. She has maintained the perfect balance of giving us space but being there to assist and proffer advice.

Éowyn on the other hand is thriving. She astounds us daily with the things she comes out with. She seems to know a new word every day. She has also discovered Toy Story (1, 2 and 3!). At least it is a change from CBeebies and I have no problems sitting and watching a Toy Story film. I have tried her with other Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks films such as The Little Mermaid, Shrek, Finding Nemo but it is always: “Éowyn not like this. Toy Story please daddy.” Must keep persevering.

She picks phrases and actions off us (we have to be careful) as well as off the TV. We are sure that she has started to use the word gorgeous from us. She has definitely picked us sign language from the T.V. programme: ‘Something Special‘. She will quite often sign phrases from the show. However she doesn’t always use them in the appropriate place. Éowyn was saying that Mommy was gorgeous and then Daddy was gorgeous when Lucinda said ‘No, daddy is handsome’. Éowyn then repeated ‘Daddy is hamster’ and signed hamster. Nearly right!

She is a little comic though. We were in Lucinda’s car when she drove over a speed bump, Éowyn immediately said ‘It’s just like the Ninky Nonk!’ Referring to the bumping train in the programme ‘In the Night Garden’. She is also liable to over-dramatising. She has already come out with the phrase ‘I have been sad all day!’ And will often pout her lips and fold her arms if things aren’t going her way. She does, however, try to be useful around the home. She will take plates and cups into the kitchen and woe betide anyone who takes their own plate out when it is her job!. She threw a strop the other day when I got up to take my cup out. ‘OK’ I said, ‘Éowyn can do it.’

‘No, Daddy I can’t.’ she replied through her tears.

‘Why?’ I asked.

‘Because I’m crying’ she answered.

Éowyn enjoyed shoe shopping for the first time recently. We bought her a pair of winter shoes and a pair of winter boots (size 7 1/2 now!). Her shoes are more expensive that I pay for myself! When she was trying the shoes on in Clarks she walked over to the bag section and picked up a Peppa Pig bag to walk around with. She is starting early! Her boots are cool though with red flashing leds down the side that are triggered on every heel strike. I am a sucker for flashing lights, I’m sure that’s why I got into telly!

So with winter truly upon us (Although we have had barely an inch of snow around these parts, mores the pity!) and Christmas around the corner there may plenty of chances for her to wear them but perhaps not so many updates between now and the end of the year. Hopefully Éowyn will understand Christmas a little more. She has a book about Rudolph at the North Pole so I have been reading that to her so she has a bit of a feel for who Santa is and why there is a sleigh pulled by reindeer. We hope to put the tree up on Monday while she is at Jo’s and then it will start to feel Christmassy.

So I will leave you to your festive merrymaking (and shopping – do it online so much easier!) and hope to squeeze at least one more update in before Chirstmas. And a quick get welll soon to my sister Mary who is an early victim of the snow and ice, slipping and breaking her elbow. Hope it heals quickly!

Peace and love

Baggie

In the arms of Daddy

Best friends

Let’s clean that face!

Watching Toy Story

Close up

Watching Toy Story too!

Daddy and Amélie

Poser!

Close up, sleeping

Smiler!

She’s kissing me again!

Look at this stain!

Doesn't time fly?

Monday 1st February 2010Monday 6th September 2010Baggie

It may still be cold, although the snow (for us at least) has not returned , but I must have turned around for a second because February is already upon us. My resolution to update this blog more regularly has failed in the first month. I will however make amends by posting lots of photos of Éowyn. I trust that will make up for the hiatus.

It is probably fair to say that the reason that the blog isn’t getting updated as often as it should is that we are settling into a routine. I work, Lucinda works and when we both work Éowyn goes to Jo, her childminder. Éowyn is also much more demanding (in a nice way) on our time when you are looking after her. No longer are you guaranteed two naps during the day which would allow you to have a little ‘me’ time. Hence when she goes to sleep at night you finally get a chance to do the little jobs that you have wanted to do all day but never got the chance so some things miss out. This blog being one of them.

I think I have said at every stage of Éowyn’s development that ‘I’ve enjoy this stage better than the last.’ So it is no surprise that I am saying it again. But I thoroughly enjoy every day that I spend with her. She is developing new skills everyday and is so much fun. Although I do not think that we are too far away from the temper tantrum stage. She already turns the waterworks on when she wants something that you are denying her and will quite often refuse her dinner and you have to resort to forcing that first mouthful through her flailing arms. (However once she realises that the first mouthful is something that she likes then she quickly gobbles down the rest). Unless of course she is in one of those moods that means only she can feed herself and woe betide anyone that denies her that right.

That paints a very negative picture and one that is somewhat contrary to the start of that previous paragraph. She really isn’t all that bad at all. In fact I think that we are quite lucky. Most of the time she is very well behaved. She enjoys playing with her, far too many, toys. She pays very little attention to the telly (which is good) except when she picks up the remote control and changes the channel. Usually followed with a ‘Uh-Oh’ and quickly handing the remote back to you. She loves to read and will spend hours sitting on your lap making you read one of her many books to her. I think I know the 10 Friendly Fish and the Gruffalo backwards.

She also picks up things incredibly quickly and not just things that you teach her. We now make her walk from our house to the car parked in the street. It is a walk of 50 metres at most, but a good stretch for her. Last Friday she was walking to the car as usual, but insisted on carrying Lucinda’s big bunch of keys. As she approached the car I jokingly said ‘Come on, you have to unlock the car for us.’ more as prelude to taking the keys off her than anything else. But she stood there, flicked through the keys until she came across the car key. Pointed it at the car (the correct car in a line of cars) and pressed the unlock button on the remote central locking. Lucinda and I looked at each other as if to say have you taught her that, when Éowyn simply handed me the keys and went and stood at the rear door waiting to be picked up and sat in her car seat. She obviously, must have watched us do it and locked it away for future use. What else has she watched us do that she is saving until the moment is ripe?

Although the weather has been cold, it is has been quite dry this weekend, so we took full advantage and headed to Savill Garden, in Virginia Water part of Windsor Great Park. There is a small adventure playground and we thought that it was about time that we introduced Éowyn to it. Again we made her walk from the car, which is a long way when you only have little legs. She thoroughly enjoyed the playground, even if she was a little on the young side for much of it. She especially enjoyed the swings and got upset when we took her out of it and she had to go back for a second go. Before we set back off for the warmth of the Bagnall home we made he walk a little into the park. She spent the whole time pointing at the many dogs (Virginia Water is the place that many people walk their dogs at a weekend) and saying ‘Woof Woof’. Very proud of her, but I think that you may have got that from this entry already.

However, enough of me waxing lyrical over my daughter here is the real reason many of you are here, the latest photos and I did promise more that the usual to make up for the lack of entries.

Peace and Love

Baggie

Wheeee

I’m flying!

Wiv my Mommy

I want to go on the swing!

Wrapped up warm!

Mommy and me!

More fun than my toys!

Up to something!

Gee up!

Peep Po!

I’ll get that bubble!

Very comfy!

Just texting…

Text me back!

Come on! Text me back!

Welcome to 2010

Friday 15th January 2010Sunday 1st January 2017Baggie

I suppose you could say that is a little late, but what’s two weeks between friends! Christmas is over and it is back to the business of getting ‘back to normal’ for although Christmas does not mean a break from work for either Lucinda or myself, our jobs are different over the festive period due to the fact that the majority of office based jobs and schools are on a break and it does make the journey into work a lot easier as the traffic is considerably lighter.

I can not go further without mentioning the weather. The coldest start to a January in my lifetime, with snow falling in some part of the UK every day for the last 4 weeks and a return to the kind of winters I remember as a child. My inner child has been delighted. Unfortunately as a country we are not prepared for this kind of weather event and many parts of the country grind to a halt to the bewilderment of those from countries that would consider our snowfall ‘a dusting’. Disappointingly the temperature is set to rise over the next few days and so the snow that is lingering in the sheltered corners of gardens will no doubt disappear, however the long range forecast is for a return to the colder weather. A little more snow in my corner of the world would be gratefully received. Not too much mind you, just enough to make everywhere look pretty. Thank you.

For the first time in a while neither Lucinda or I saw the New Year (decade) in. I had been working all day and Lucinda had to get up at 0400 on New Year’s day to work at the airport. So the thought of staying up just to watch the arbitrary turn of a man made concept seemed to lack appeal. It is not as if it has any basis on any observations (like the ancients’ notion of basing the year on solstices and equinoxes), for our society one measures a circle, beginning anywhere. Seemingly the reason that the beginning of January marked the turn of the year is lost in the midsts of time (unless anyone can tell me otherwise) although it possibly dates from 153BC and the Roman Late Republic (and hence it’s spread throughout Europe). Interestingly 1st January was not adopted as New Year’s Day in England until 1752 with the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar, until then we celebrated New Year’s Day on 25th March (the Feast of the Annunciation). See that was Quite Interesting.

Therefore New Year’s day morning it was just Éowyn and me, but she was very kind to her old father and stayed asleep until 7.30, much to Lucinda’s disgust as she had been up with our little one the previous few nights and had been made to get up early on her days off. How times have changed that we think that 7.30 is a lay in! We were kindly invited to Lucinda’s brother’s for New Year’s Day afternoon along with Lucinda’s parents and Uncle Bill and Auntie Sally. After an initial few minutes of shyness, Éowyn was soon enjoying herself with her cousins and chasing their cat around trying to stroke her.

So although New Year’s Eve was a a non-event, the 2nd January was very different. My good friend Sanjiv’s brother, Jay, was getting married to his long term girlfriend Emma at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane opposite Hyde Park in London. It was a black tie affair and with the grandeur of the setting it all added to make it a fabulous wedding and we felt privileged to have been invited. There had obviously been a lot of work behind the scenes to make all the little details (and the big ones) seamlessly meld together. It was great to meet up with Sanjiv and with Si and Stef to whose wedding we’ll be going to in the summer. To take full advantage of the day we decided to stay the night at the hotel so that we didn’t have the worry of trying to get back home. This obviously meant that we needed baby sitting cover for the night. Again, Nanny Fran (and Auntie Liz) came to the rescue. So a big thank to Mom for looking after Éowyn so soon after Christmas weekend.

With a return to the usual routine comes a return for Éowyn to go to Jo’s (her childminder). I’m not sure who missed who the most. Éowyn certainly enjoys herself at Jo’s, and is now quite happy to go and wave us off but I think that Jo genuinely enjoys looking after Éowyn, which is a huge bonus for us.

Éowyn really enjoys interacting with adults and other children. She especially likes singing and quickly picks up the actions to the songs. Perhaps that’s why her great-great uncle David and great great auntie Sally bought her a musical instrument collection consisting of a xylophone, tambourine, hand bells and a pair of maracas. Needless to say she really enjoys that present and makes sure that we all have an instrument to join in. Recently she has begun to make towers out of her Duplo bricks (like we would for her) and then knock them down. As they crash to the floor she holds her hands to her month in mock surprise and horror before doing it all again. But her favourite ‘toys’ are still her books and she will quite often choose one and bring it to you for you to read it to her.

So last week saw the decorations return to their boxes for another year. Éowyn tried to help (she has recently begun to help to tidy, including put things in the bin – whether they need to go there or not! -and putting her toys away if you ask her nicely) and was quite sweet with one of Lucinda’s many snowman ornaments (see photos below). And so with the Christmas decorations down (doesn’t it make rooms look bare? – I think that is partly why there is such a dearth of photos from which I could choose for this update) and the snow and ice making way for leaden skies and drizzle the new decade begins and we look forward to the many surprises and opportunities that it brings. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at you back.

Peace and Love

Baggie!