Development

As you can see, Leon has discovered something else he can do in his bouncer, hold on to the door frame! Could this be him showing an early interest in climbing?
His gums seem to be quite swollen and it's putting him in a bad mood quite alot. Cold teethers help but he's chewing anything and everything he can get his hands on. Ironically he doesn't have much appetite though. He's eating OK but considering now he's crawling everywhere he must be burning up energy, if anything, he's eating slightly less lately. He is really into his milk feeds and breast though, so maybe that's it. He's very clingy so it might be part of that, a kind of mini regression to be close to me. I'm making an effort to play with him more and stay in the same room with him. Before, he could be in the playpen playing and me in the kitchen and at least for a while, he'd be happy. Not anymore, he wants to see me and preferably be climbing all over me, pulling my hair and chewing something (preferably my phone).
I humoured him this morning and due to a red bum (probably teething too) he went nappy free most of the morning. I let him sleep on my lap, wrapped in nothing but a towel, while we dozed together. It was really nice and I could tell that Leon appreciated the intimacy. I'm trying 'object permanence' games like hide the teddy but he's not getting it yet. I'm doing hide mummy or hide Leon which he finds funny - under a muslin or a sheet. His hand eye coordination is pretty good, and he's getting the hang of how books work. He finds all the bobbly, furry etc bits in the books straight away, he even talks to some of the furry bits! He's just woken up from his midday sleep (a good, long one) and so far he's in a good mood, surrounded by toys on the floor. I think I'll go and play for a bit.

he loves to chew

We went to my parents for lunch yesterday - they'd found my old christening teether, silver and ivory, which Leon eagerly had a chew on. He also tucked into a lolly (mostly water with a touch of fruit juice). He loved it! At one point I tried to show him how to eat the side by holding on with both hands, and he thought I was going to take it away - he kinda growled at me 'geeet offf'...



He's almost got crawling down pat. Basically in 10 days he's gone from throwing himself in the direction he wants to go in, to being able, from siting, to crawl wherever he wants. Plus, he can raise himself up to standing if he's got something to hold onto. He's not quite got the hang of moving from one object to another, but he'll walk, pretty quickly sometimes' if you hold both his hands.

Still, he's not got everything yet... we were at Hanna's, and he wormed backwards under a coffee table - right under! Then we heard a little cry - he couldn't pick himself up enough to crawl forwards again - I had to kinda pull him out gently :)

Front garden

Taken at the Littleport show last weekend, when it was rather rainy. He didn't mind though!


We had another viewing this morning, so ran about for a couple of hours straightening the place. Probably won't get any feedback, if any, until Monday. While C finished off the finishing touches, I played with Leon in the front garden. He's alert and curious. He can crawl properly now, and he was pulling himself up on my knees (I was lying down) and standing holding on with one hand!





He's just adorable :)

Tobs and Trotski

Scouse Gary referred to Leon as 'Trotski' in a facebook message during the week. I thought Tobs and Trotski might make an interesting name for a Father Son Clothing line.

Busy week mostly consisting of meeting people in town every day and then cooking, washing up, washing and generally looking after Leon before, after and during.

Leon's crawling is coming on fast and now he's standing up in his cot when I come in after his morning snooze - he can't yet stand up in his Grobag.

He loves his new found skill and had a good crawl round the children's section at the Library this afternoon then stood up leaning on the windowsill watching the people below go by and a massive yellow JCB digging in the building site opposite.

He has overcome his fear of the washing machine on spin and stood up hands on the glass while it spun spun spun.

The 8-9 month separation anxiety thing is evident but I think I'm dealing with it well. He's going off to sleep mainly because he's so knakkered but I am resorting to feeding him to sleep sometimes. Mostly as a last resort but I think it's best to respond to him quickly and make him feel secure rather than leave him to cry too long at this stage. I left him to go to sleep by himself this morning and he winged about 5 minutes but fell asleep by himself so I think we are coming through it. During the night, he woke up crying and 'saying' mamamamama. Tob went in to console him but he just got angry, 'said' dadada!MAMAMA!

His favorite face at the moment is the 'monkey face' this usually involves breathing almost like a low wistle, a bit like he's about to karate you or start weight training. It goes with holding onto the sides of the cot and jumping.

Tots and Tea

I met up with Hannah in town at lunchtime to chat about how the Littleport Show went and what we want to do next. In Starbucks, I found Leon a guitar, which of course was a photo op.
I should be getting on with some housework as I've got home, feet are rested, Leon's at his Nana and Grumps and I have plenty else to do. Blogwise, I'm up to date at least :)

Mud on the wheels

We couldn't keep mud off the wheels for long and went for a walk yesterday up to the Roswell Pits and round back along the Ouse with Hans.

It was good to catch up with Hans, we did him a sunday lunch then an hour and a half walk to walk it off.

Hans left late afternoon, after Leon's tea time and bed, we watched the first episode of OZ, the prison series that came out late '90's on HBO. It was good, but a bit harrowing. I'm not sure I will bother with the whole series, there's only so much pain, misery, testosterone and bullying of people you have nothing in common with one can take while relaxing.

Saturday at the Littleport Show

Hannah and I did a Time4Tots stall at the Littleport Show. We did sell enough to pay for the stall by about half way through the day which was good. I got a chance to get acquainted with the products so it was good. The weather was pretty bad and the mud was pretty much everywhere as was the straw meant to soak up the mud. The sun did come out in the afternoon, as well as a few more people but it wasn't really the big event it could be given better weather. I guess we can't complain considering other parts of this country don't even have electricity or running water. I didn't get round to taking a picture of the stall or the Silver Cross with 2 inches of mud and straw on the wheels, just the significant lack of sun and people is visible (or not) in this picture. When we got home, I took the top bit off the Silver Cross and put the chassis on the grass and hosed it down in the rain. It came up shiny and new, with a bit of oil on the wheels, it was back to normal.

He can escape!!

As of about a week, he can crawl in any direction and actually get to what he wants to get to. It's getting quicker every day too. This was him making a break for it out if his bedroom before bed last week.

The best toys in the world are home made.

And involve chocolate :)

Mega cook off and Leon's 8 month check

The picture is of the containers full off baby food about to go into the freezer. The assortment includes pear, apple and pear, mango, apple and pear, sweet potato mash and Mackerel with assorted veg (leek, squash, courgette, aubergine, sweet potato and parsnip if my memory serves). This is the most I think I've frozen in one go, which deserves the picture :)


That was yesterday's shenanigans, today was Leon's 8 month check. I mentioned the possible lazy eye and the doctor said there was a very slight difference in the eyes so that's been referred to a specialist. The rest was all good, he was very well behaved. She couldn't work out why the way he pulls his whatsits about didn't hurt either but didn't seem worried.


Weight, he's now up from 50th centile to about 70th (per)centile


Height at the 6 week check, he was on the 75th centile, now he's on the 98th centile which puts him well over 6 foot if predictions work.


Head circumference he's just under the 25th centile, which is where it was at the 6 week check so it's growing normally. So not got a big head then :)
Oh and for any of you wondering what this centile stuff is, it's a graph with 50 being in the middle/average the 0 to 100th centile is all within acceptable norms and so long as the measurements sit on the graph within these numbers, all is well. Leon was just under the 50th centile for weight at birth, which at a very average 7lb 13oz, you would expect to be pretty much average. So yes, 98th centile for height puts him right up at the top of the graph, but still within acceptable norms.

Baby pictures of me

And for reference purposes here's a couple of me.

Where do you get those ears?

Well, we have seen the two pictures of Leon and Toby side by side at the same age. I asked my dad to bring some pictures of him as a baby as I can see a similarity with my dad in Leon too.

Check this out....

Whoosh

That was quite a weekend, as Toby described. I'm knackered, it only really stopped yesterday evening. I had a lovely day with my Dad yesterday which involved much walking - round Ely, down to the Station, Tescos and back up and home so today I think I'm going to stay at home and chill in the garden.

Leon is travelling very well now. He's on the floor as I write exploring the living room, well the quinny pushchair at the moment. I'm sure he's found the bit with the most germs. Ah no, he's turned 180 degrees, no 270 degrees, up on hands and knees looking for... back to the pushchair wheel. I've diverted him with a small football which he's now showing much affection for.

The house we saw on Friday that we fell in love with has gone, I rang today to find out and they must have accepted the offer from someone who wasn't yet to sell like us. I hope we don't take too long to sell, at least I'm not pregnant so there's not too much of a time constraint yet.

We will just have to keep our eyes open for something similar. It was sooo nice and 7 mins from Ely station. I'm gutted the timing wasn't right.

Leon's still playing with the ball but he's now about a meter from where he was when I gave it to him. He's using the tag on the ball to whack the floor with it.

Yesterday I bought him his first shoes. He's now 'cruising' a dubious word that means using people and furniture to walk from place to place. His feet were filthy and I've yet to be able to have him keep socks and his baby shoes on him for more than a few minutes. The shoes I got (see photo) are soft leather and designed for cruising. He's a size 3 which apparently means he has very long feet - they don't say big feet nowadays (yawn).

Oh, back up on all fours, panting, over to the play pen, back on belly. What's that fascinating thing on the back of his hand, I think it's his knuckle, or maybe his wrist, what ever it is it's very interesting. Not anymore, now it's the tufty bits in the rug. It's hard work being a baby.

One day soon...

Keep it up Leon, you'll crack it one day soon!

what a weekend!

Whew, what a weekend! I'd taken Friday off, partly because I was weary and needed a break, and partly because Christine had arranged a viewing of a house that we thought might be promising. It had only just come on the market - I have a rightmove email alert set up for Ely, so I could let C know - which meant that if we liked it, we could maybe get in there first (the last house we decided to buy was bought the next morning before we could get a 2nd viewing!).

So, bit of a lie in, then 11am we go to the viewing. It's lovely, ticks all the boxes, and is close to the station. We had my parents on standby outside (with Leon) so we got them in to get a 2nd opinion - "good". We offer the asking price, and the lady is completely shocked - we're the first people to see it and we make an offer just like that!

Only sticking point, she's obviously not too impressed that ours isn't on the market yet (even though I'd planned to instruct on on-line estate agent that day). We went to her estate agent to put in our offer, and talking about it, realised that if we put it on with *them* then they could let the vendor know it was on the market, thus removing her reservation...

This was 12o/c. If they came at 3pm, our house could be on their website the same day, and rightmove the next.

Three hours. To completely make over our house. Ok!

Christine attacked the kitchen, and I did the rest of the house - sweeping the front garden, washing windows, shoveling books and papers into boxes, hoovering, making the bed, hiding toys, ferrying boxes that Christine had filled to the garage... I was a whirlwind! And the kitchen... well when Mum saw it later she nearly fainted, it looked so empty and sparkling :)

Saturday morning, I checked rightmove - it's already online! But for us, it was a trip to the beach! Good fun, Leon's first beach trip. He was a bit shell shocked with all the new things to look at, and all the people, but I took him down to the water's edge - he seemed fascinated, but not happy when I sploshed his feet in a pool of cold water! Just to think... next year he'll be running around!



At the beach we got a text from Mum - We've got viewings Sunday 11.30am, Monday 6.30 and Wed 6.30!!!!!

Left the beach early (~3pm) to get back to Ely to hand Leon over to my parents (who'll have him overnight for the first time!), pick up Don, and head off to a Blondie Concert in Thetford Forrest. Good stuff, built up slowly, but all the hits, with encore of Denis and Heart of Glass.



Sunday morning, quick clean up, turf Don and Christine out, and I showed a nice couple round the house. They liked it, but I think they thought the front room was too small. Bit short notice to change everything round for Monday night viewing, but we're thinking of changing our big bed for a smaller one, and maybe rearranging the wardrobes...

Might have been able to do something Sunday afternoon, except that we'd decided it was a good opportunity for Don and I to see Leon swimming! He's a little water baby - he likes "swimming" between people (ie a bit of a push, 2 seconds underwater and a pick up and cuddle).

And to cap off the weekend, we'd booked tickets for the latest Harry Potter! Pretty good - had to be quite abridged because the book is sooo long, but it was fun and dark :)

Came into work today for a rest ;)

We are on the market!

We saw a place to day and put in an offer. We don't know if it's been accepted yet but we made sure we got our's up on the web pretty sharpish. It's up on the David Clarke website http://www.clarkhomes.co.uk/ . These are the pictures he took. It's never been so tidy. It was like something out of House Doctor, we had 2 and a half hours to do about 3 days work.

time4tots and time for me

Hannah came round yesterday with her son, Sebastian. Her maiden name is also Carter which is nice. She isn't married yet but as good as. Hannah contacted me via the leaflet I made about real nappies which seems to be spreading slowly around Ely and the villages now. She has started up a company called time4tots.co.uk which is, at this stage a baby products website and party plan baby stuff but will soon be a shop soon. She's basically doing exactly what I want to be doing so we plan to work together, initially doing the parties together - I will see who I can muster together in Ely from my contacts and the library, then as it grows into a shop we will hopefully be partners in the shop. Still very early days but as Hannah and I seem to get on well, I'd be happy to contribute my extensive nappy knowledge and help out if nothing else. I am looking forward to doing a party, it would be good if it does work out; employment locally that's flexible and relevant to me now.

Still looking at houses, nothing yet but ours still isn't on the market. It's pretty much ready now. It's just up to Toby to let them know, that gives us 3 days to tidy up/keep it tidy for the pictures and then there's the keeping it tidy until it's sold. Oh Joy.

New carseat

We bought a new carseat for Leon today, in preparation for the trip to the beach this weekend - he was overbig for his size 0 seat; feet scruched up against the backrest. He's a little young for a size 1 seat, but he's certainly big enough, and heavy enough!

We (well, I) dithered between the two Which? best buys - Maxi Cosi Priorifix and a Britax Duo Isofix. We sat Leon in both a couple of times - he must have wondered what was going on, but was lovely and quiet. In the end we settled on the Britax because it was easier to change the harness and seems more comfortable - important as we do do some long trips sometimes. He must be happy with our choice because he fell asleap in it on the way home :)

 

hmm quiet

Just taking advantage of 10 minutes quiet. Leon's asleep after a long and difficult lunch of not eating what he normally likes and trying not to worry too much about it but actually wanting him to eat it which always makes it worse.
While Leon was bouncing this morning I managed to get all the stuff off the top of the cupboards so the kitchen looks like we have enough storage rather than a collection of bits and pieces I no longer use, like microwave steriliser, champagne glasses, flower vases etc etc They can all go into M&D's garage until we move.
I feel like I'm winning slowly.
I also got a reply to my response to an article in the Ely Weekly News about Ely becoming more like a dormitory town with it's residents going to Cambridge to shop. My response was about how difficult, nigh on impossible it is to find shop space or even a market stall in Ely and surely the council should be doing more to free up more space so there are actually more shops in Ely. The journalist wants to use bits of my response and is coming round tomorrow to take a picture of me! Well I intend it to be me with pram and Leon as my response was about how me and lots of other mums walk into Ely a few times a week and can't find what we are looking for so end up buying it on-line or elsewhere.
I've also, I hope, got time4tots.co.uk, Hanna's website a mention as she's one of the new businesses trying to get a market stall or shop in Ely and can't get one as there aren't any going.
Ellen and Dan should be here soon, Dan to give the front door coat three of shiny red gloss and Ellen, so we can walk down the the "Paradise" Centre (I use the quotation marks as it's far from "paradise") to take Leon for his weekly splash about.

Springfield Toby - pasty geek FTW