Chugging along nicely

Well the last couple of months we have been staying with Ellen and Dan which has been at times difficult for all of us (except Leon who loves it) but has been mostly really good. It's not easy living with your parents or inlaws or grown up kids and their offspring but we've managed really well. We officially exchanged and completed on Felton Way last week after a flurry of panic about the installation certificate we didn't get for the boiler that was installed that the buyers solicitors insist they need and are withholding a grand in cash until we get it. I'm on the case and with any luck, Corgi will be sending it to us today. It's Corgi's fault for not issuing it to us 2 years ago fortunately, so they shouldn't object.

We've exchanged on the new place and will be completing this Friday, moving in Saturday. As you can imagine, we are so looking forward to getting into our new place. I've got this week to pack up the kitchen, what little stuff we've been living with the last couple of months clothes wise (I really need to dig out summer stuff when we move in, phew!). Then there's Leon's room - nappies and clothes and of course toys! We've got some help from friends and a van for Saturday and Sunday and then it's a day off on Monday to the picnic in the park for Stef's birthday in Hyde Park.

This Saturday gone, we went to a car boot sale round the corner and got some fabulous new books and toys for Leon. More cars, trucks, diggers, trains and a cooker, he's playing much more now and you can see it all going on in his imagination. Ellen and Dan came back from a fortnight's holiday in Spain, well rested and touched by the sun. I was dreading delays what with them flying to Stanstead with Ryan Air but they were there waiting, luggage in hand when Toby got there at the agreed time so there were no delays. It's nice to have them back, we are all more relaxed now the houses are chugging along nicely and it's just a week to go before we all get to go a bit more back to normal.

Pictures are from yesterday, playing with his new trainset, me reading him a book - notice him pinching my arm, he does this all the time while you read to him, don't ask me why, then last weekend at Wimpole Hall Home Farm with Liz, Mike and Harriet, who are about to become our new neighbours - I met Liz at the Library toddler club, they moved onto King Edgar Close last August and we will be just up the road. Harriet and Leon are roughly the same age, and we go to Music class on a Wednesday together.

Bristol last weekend

It's taken me over a week to blog this, partly because I've been side tracked alot and partly because I've still not shifted this cold so over the weekend just gone, I did as little as possible which seemed to help alot. I'm at the stage now in the pregnancy where I can just about stand an hour in town shopping before I need a break which I must remember to take into consideration.

Right, well weekend before last, we went down to see Janet in Bristol. We got as far as Bishops Stortford on the M11 before being stuck in a 3 hour jam caused by a bad accident and no warnings to find alternative routes. We sat there for hours until the police turned us all round back up to the previous junction where we went across to the A1M and down to the M25 which was then plain sailing. Our stop at Dad's went from being about midday to 4.30pm. We were introduced to the kittens at Dad's and got a right royal welcome from mummy cat who was fine with Leon being very happy and affectionate with her babies. We were of course careful not to let him squeeze and love them too much. He was very good though, just very happy to see them!

We got to Jan's about 6.30ish, Leon took about half hour to settle after a bath and story etc as he was in unfamiliar territory but that still wasn't bad really. Then we sat down to a delicious Lasagne with Janet, a bit of wine and a good old natter comfortable in her newly decorated living room, now complete with carpet.

Sunday morning Tob took the early shift with Leon and we swapped about 9am so he could go back to bed for an hour or so while I got Leon dressed etc. We went to Eamon's new pub in Bristol for Sunday roast and met his new wife, Christiane and 9 month old boy, Buster. As usual I spent most of my time talking to him while he cooked. The roast was nice, if a little pricey. He's done very well, Christiane is from what I can tell, ideal for him - a bit wild but with at least a couple of toes on the ground, same as him. The pub has been a success, from what I can make out, partly luck and mostly down to the characters they are. Buster is a rough diamond, not as pretty as Leon but very cute and lovable in a Buster way. He looks alot like Eamon.

It was pretty cold most of the time we were there, we braved the park on top of the hill next to the pub before heading back to Jan's.

Maaike and Leon got on very well despite the enormous age gap, there is definitely something about them they know they are related and as with every other time Leon's been around Maaike for a couple of days, he developed and grew noticeably and dramatically. Really lovely to see. Monday morning, we gathered up the troops, Maaike was very sad to see us go and I really felt it had all gone much too quickly. We met up with Eamon and Buster at a Fresh and Wild up in Clifton. Initially it was for just a coffee but in the end as Christiane was delayed and we decided as the food at Fresh and Wild is so good, we stayed there for lunch, coffee and cake. Leon tried his first falafel, much to his delight and I've now started getting them for him as they are very wholesome and he seems to love them so much. (must get some houmous this afternoon!)

Leon has visibly grown in the last week and a half, both physically and mentally. His language and understanding has shot forward, his hand-eye coordination too - he's sitting for long periods of time playing with his stickle bricks, or vehicles. You can give him quite detailed instructions on giving something to me then finding something else and giving it to me or to Tob whether it be specific toys, specific books or cups and plates etc. Most of his vocabulary doesn't make much sense but he is very chatty. He knows what he wants and will point or take you to what he wants more than say what it is. We are even explaining that there's a baby in my tummy and if you ask him to point to the baby in mummy's tummy, he will. He is also getting a temper and being naughty more but so far I feel we are handling it in a pretty relaxed way, ignoring him or say bringing him in from the garden if he repeatedly does something he knows he's not allowed, like eating stones. The eating stones is getting better - partly through ignoring (which is hard but most effective long term) and partly by bringing him in from the garden, taking his wellies off and not letting him out for half hour. I will let him out after a while as by then he's forgotten what he's been punished for so there's no point in longer really. He's hardly doing it now - he didn't do it all weekend.