Maiden Voyage

Well today was our first trip out on the bike with the trailer and it was really good. When Leon first sat in the trailer, he had his mouth open speechless face like 'wow! this is a car for me?' I asked him if he liked it and he said YES! with a big smile. Reuben didn't like wearing his helmet and there were more than a few tears shed while getting it fastened under his chin. I succeeded in not pinching his chubby chin even if the angry cries suggested otherwise. He seemed to enjoy the ride and was happy with the whole experience. On the way home at lunch time he fell asleep so he must be pretty relaxed. I left the bike out the front at lunch time and in a relaxed and dignified fashion was able to do lunch and get them both rested. Leaving the house in the afternoon for coffee at Hannah's was pretty stressful, Reuben was all dressed up and ready to go, I was strapping Leon in the Trailer and came back in to get Reuben only to discover he'd pood again so, back out, un-strap Leon bring him back inside, strip Reuben back down, change and dress him, he didn't like that, then the helmet again . I was not popular with him at all. We got to Hannah's OK, it was very windy but otherwise fine. I detect a significant level of passive aggressive behaviour from Hannah most of the time, and today was no different. She let me in, told me to take of Leon's shoes and walked back into the living room leaving me to keep Leon's shoes off her precious carpet, get him out if his coat, hold Reuben, get him out if his stuff and myself. Forgive me but if I invite someone over for coffee, I would at least offer to hold the baby so they can get coats off witout a juggling act involving a 9 month old and a toddler. Then it took an hour to be offered a cup of tea. I can only deduce that she doesn't like me but the only way she chooses to show it is in a way that only I can notice. This is apparently passive aggressive. She comes across as very timid and shy, I am of course, not so is this her way of dominating me? I feel very dominated and small, so I hope she's happy.
Boys are in bed, all's quiet upstairs. Tonight was the first time Leon's gone to bed without stories (something he really looks forward to and enjoys). We've threatened if he was naughty during bedtime hour this would happen but he's never pushed it to the point where we had to go through with it. Tonight it took the form of tipping water out of the bath onto the floor, on the third time, that was it, he'd been warned. He didn't like it but equally this should hopefully go a way to him realising what we say, we do. We got alot of crying and shouting but he got the message and went to bed.
Lots of preparing to do tonight, Penguin and Emma's wedding tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. After my pizza, I'm off upstairs for a bath, a soak rather, and then I'll have to do my hair so that tomorrow morning it should hopefully need a touch up along with makeup. I'm still not 100% sure which dress I'm going to wear so once I'm showered I will have a try on and ask Tob what he thinks. Very much looking forward to that pizza.

Trailer!!!!

I am very happy and excited, I have to admit on many levels I've been waiting to get a bike trailer for kids ever since they were first invented way before I had any kids to put into one. I should make clear at this point that this was not the reason I had kids but you get the gist.

I took it out of it's box this afternoon, first the two 20" wheels and then the folded body, it folds really nicely. I just put it down, and instinctively it could be unfolded and secured together mostly with pins that go through joins. The cover has so much Velcro on it I began to wonder if cycling in general would be the same these days had Velcro not been invented.

Then I went into the garage and put the thingy that goes on the 'host' bike's rear axle on my bike once I managed to find a dumbell spanner in the bottom of a box. God knows what's happened to my bike tools, that garage needs a sort out and we've only been here just under a year.

My Brompton high pressure mini pump pumped up the two 20" tyres in no time - I have a spare brompton pump as my first brompton was nicked and all I have to show for it is the pump. This will stay with the trailer. It's been persisting with rain all the time I was in the doing this but I was far too excited to wait for a break in the rain so I went out for a spin anyway. It was beautifully smooth, if light without the boys in it yet. Reuben will go in the seat behind me on the bike for the time being - research shows he'll be safest there until he's a year or so. Although saying that, if it was really raining I'd put them both in the trailer as otherwise Reuben would be pretty miserable and wet in the seat. I bought him a bike helmet today £25!!! I forgot how dear they are. I'm almost tempted to cycle round to Ellen's and put them both in it now regardless of the rain. I will resist this and make a shepherds pie instead. They can have a first run tomorrow me thinks.

I must send this picture to my Dad who sponsored this acquisition along with the DVDs he got me to order for him last week. Very chuffed indeed.

I finished my job application last night, at least to a point where Liz can give it a read through, it's nice to have a friend willing to help with things like that. She works at Ely Council and can give me some idea of if the application would look attractive to them. She did a good job last time, I got short listed and even though I didn't get the job, I was a close second and the feedback was I'd interviewed well and should keep applying for work there.
Reuben's just got his 3rd tooth, just as I was putting the finishing touches to the aforementioned paperwork last night, Reuben was being sick on Toby and refusing to drink any milk so I was asked to assist and provide that 'Mums opinion' on how to proceed further - you know, does he have a temperature, try and isolate what is making him upset. My diagnosis was teething and a blocked nose = snotty tummy hence the mini sicks. By then Tob had left me to sort Reuben out (how did that happen?) The teetha and bonjela worked until about 1am when he started up again. I was just in process of getting a duvet from the spare room to sit under on the rocking chair in his room when his protests got less and I thought it likely he'd settle back down if I left him, which he did. He hadn't had any Milk since 7pm so I was expecting him to wake at some point hungry but he didn't wake until gone 8am. By then the white bit of gum top right had turned into a tooth showing through. He had a yogurt for breakfast but still only a couple of ounces of milk so I would guess this teething stuff is suppressing his appetite, poor mite.
During his morning sleep, Leon was bored and really ought to have gone for a sleep, but wouldn't, so I did a search on You Tube for tractors and then car transporters and we watched videos of car transporters being loaded and unloaded much to Leon's delight. Then I had a cunning plan to get Leon to sleep. We lie on the sofa cuddling, I watch Bones and he falls asleep as it's not very interesting for him. This works to plan and within half an hour he's snoring away.
After lunch to music and the library with just Leon as it's Reuben's turn today to go to see his Nana for the afternoon.

Church farm on Saturday

We went up to Church Farm in Norfolk on Saturday, first time this year. I dare say we will be going there on a fairly regular basis as Leon talks about it all the time now.

Teeth again

Reuben is in process of pushing his 3rd tooth through and it's made him pretty miserable and put him off his food and milk. He's still having some, but probably about half his usual bottle, this could mean a growth spurt too. I hope he doesn't grow out of his posh outfit before next Saturday's wedding. I've shortened Leon's trousers; the outfit is age 3-4 having found that Monsoon size 2-3 was pretty tight on him. I think they will both look lovely in their velvet suits.
I've been on Ebay again and got a couple of pairs of skater shorts - I like them long to go some way to protect his knees. They might do two summers too. I have a feeling there will come a point in about 3 years when Leon and Reuben basically have a collective wardrobe.
Leon has started the unfortunate habit of putting his hand down my top which when wearing cowl necks means if I don't watch out he pulls it right down. Usually when he wants a cuddle he will put both arms straight down in front of him and as close to my skin as possible.
It's quite sunny today, really nice. I looked on the forecast and the weekend is going to be a wash out, which is a shame. I'm really looking forward to the wedding, I'm sure with Penguin's organisation skills they will have it sorted no matter what the weather.

Spring came last week

Last week we got a taste of what spring could be like, it's not so good looking this week but it was lovely last week. Dad came on Tuesday and stayed until Thursday. On Tuesday I took Dad along to Leon and Reuben's swimming lesson, Dad took Reuben but it wasn't that comfortable for him as the pool is quite shallow and his knees aren't great at the moment. I think he enjoyed seeing the boys bob about I'm glad we went. Wednesday I asked Ellen to take the boys and we went to Cambridge on the bus, the bus to Cambridge is a fiver return and stops outside the house pretty much and takes us all the way into Cambridge. Dad and I are very much into our Trains but this was just to good to bother getting across Ely to pay more to go by train. We went round Kings College Chapel, something I've been meaning to do and had a wonder around the Fitzwilliam Museum which I like to do given the opportunity as there's loads of good stuff to see there, it's a very under exposed museum considering what they have there. It was great to be going to Cambridge without a list of stuff to buy and a tight time schedule.

Thursday Dad got me to look up loads of stuff on the tinernet and order a film from the US and some stuff from Amazon, he's kindly paid for a bike trailer for the kids so I can get around Ely better. It's arriving tonight, I'm really looking forward to putting it together in the living room!

Reuben is 9 months today and I caught him not only getting from sitting to his front but back again to sitting! He's getting pretty fast at shuffling around. He's started to grab the bars on his play pen and in the hand rail in the bath so he'll be pulling himself up soon too.

Twitterbug

It has been far too long since my last confession. I have to confess that I have been bitten by the twitterbug; micro blogging inane stuff and reading about what some of my mates are up to and a whole lot of celebrities getting serious ego massaging. It's not a true representation of life reading about what my mate Sue is up to, then the next one down is Phill Jupitus or Stephen Fry.
I applied for a job in February, a part time job at the Council in Ely with a good benefits package, I was short listed and was in with a good chance. Not good enough sadly but I'm not going to let my new suit go to waste and I'm applying for another one, also part time, also for the council, also with benefits but not quite as well paid at the tourist office. I rang the woman who interviewed me just now and she said I interviewed well and there was no reason I wasn't going to get it other than there was someone else who was even closer, it sounds like I was a close second. She said I should keep trying for jobs at the council as there was a good chance I'd get one eventually.

Tractor Leon

Yesterday, I left my keys on the inside of the front door and shut the door potentially meaning we'd have to break in. Luckily Tob managed to push the key out from the outside with his key. I was also lucky in that both Children, our swimming stuff, food, nappies, my handbag and my mobile phone were on the outside. The only thing I missed was my hat and scarf. After swimming I bought a hat to cover my wet hair from the perishing cold wind.

After swimming, instead of taking Leon back home, I went back to Ellen and Dans to wait for Toby's return. We are so lucky to have both Ellen and Dan so close to us but more than that, they are so up for it and the boys have alot of fun round there. No money can buy the love and fun of loving grandparents. We are very blessed indeed.

I got 3 keys cut today and gave them one of them.

Today, they had Reuben for the afternoon so I could have the afternoon with just Leon, precious time we need together. I walked into town with Liz, Mike and Harriet. Well, Leon and Mike trailed ahead, Leon pushing his own little pushchair with upsydaisy in it and Liz and I walked with Harriet with her pushchair. Their paces are very different! Harriet chose to make a dignified journey by getting in the pushchair half way, Leon soldiered on running and screaming to a halt at every puddle on the way.

During music, the rain started to come down in buckets. Leon didn't have his usual sleep at 11am, choosing to play with his cars but once I wrapped him up in the pushchair, raincover on and we all headed out into the rain, he was fast asleep inside about 2 minutes. He woke up an hour or so later as we got home and went into a rage such like I've not seen for oh at least a day, because he'd been going on about going into town all morning to buy more cars and here we were back home and he'd missed town, the shops and any opportunity to buy cars (he wishes). I am to blame for this connection between town, shops and cars as our local Oxfam is a brilliant source of excellent dye cast cars, we have some great ones. It's always pot luck and we are more often than not lucky and they only cost a few pence most of the time. Trouble is, as he gets more understanding of things, or thinks he has, he expects a car like most kids expect a pack of chocolate buttons. They cost about the same but he gets the buttons too!

Toby is sleeping soundly in a hotel room in Copenhagen, I should go to bed and get some sleep, I dare say, Leon will be up early as usual.

Oh the video, yes this was taken on my mobile on Tuesday evening as Toby walked in the door at Ellen and Dan's with the news that the front door had been saved and we could get back into our house.

Where's the soap?

Leon may have eaten a bar of soap today. At least, that what he claimed when asked 'Where's the soap, Leon?' - 'In here!' (pointing to this mouth). There is evidence to suggest, however, that he pushed it down the plughole. We can only hope.

bedtime!

Last night was the second night for Leon in his bed, rather than in his cot.

Over the last few days I've been slowly clearing the mound of soft toys from his bed and the night before last I completed the task. When I said 'time for bed', instead of getting into his cot as usual, he just lay on the bed instead (they were side-by-side). I asked him if he wanted to stay there and covered him up, and he seemed fine. Actually I rolled back the blanket and replaced it with the duvet from the cot, but he stayed put. And he didn't run about, although that was probably because he'd not slept in the day.

Later that night when C and I were turning in, we heard a 'thump!' - he'd fallen out of bed. Fortunately he'd not hurt himself, and hadn't even woken up! I put him back in and tucked him in and he was fine. I assume he didn't fall out again, because we weren't woken by any more thumps!

I must say I like being a parent because when Leon's not winding me up, he's very funny, either because of what he says or what he does. I thought him falling out of bed and just curling up on the floor was very funny, I couldn't stop chuckling :)

So, as I said, last night was the second night. He did get out of bed once, but ran back to bed when I came up to investigate. It was quite late so I turned his little light off. He asked to hold it (he snuggles up with cars, little light, water bottle as well as soft toys) and that was the last we heard. And I don't think he fell out either :)

Little boy's growing up :)

Playing together

Well, sort of. Reuben loves his naughty big brother and can quite often be seen smirking cheekily at what ever we are trying to stop Leon from doing. Leon has been known to go into Reuben's bedroom after bed time and sit in the rocking chair and talk to Reuben, much to Reuben's delight.

Reuben is now 7 months and still doesn't roll over but is very stable sitting up and plays very industriously with his toys. Leon's toys do just as well and Leon only has to get them within reaching distance to loose them to him. Leon then complains as if some enormous kid has come to take them off him.

Leon's language is really coming on, we get various short sentences and most of them make sense! The world revolves around car transporters at the moment, I have been a soft mummy and bought him one that fits most of his bigger dye cast cars off the market. It's a really nice one and as it was £5 in the bargain bin I don't feel too much of a sucker. I am a soft touch when it comes to toys, something I think Leon is well aware of.

Me and my boys

I just love them, they're adorable

Oh no! runaway train!

Play

Leon's been on about an Engine Shed for some time now.

Check out Leon's snazzy new pj's thanks to his God Father Adam. We love em!

Boxing Day at Nana and Grumps

Leon spent most of the afternoon either on his bike or poking it with spanners while we watched South Pacific.

He loved his new tool box/work station. It must be a boy thing, he was straight in there, absolutely loved it.

This is a picture done by ellen of a window from Ely Cathedral, when we arrived, Leon made a bee line for the picture, saying it was the Cathedral, picked up up and sat down to admire it.

Christmas stream of consciousness

Reuben's first Christmas. Leon's first sentient Christmas. In our new house. I cooked Christmas dinner - a nice big roast beef. I forgot the Yorkshire puds, other than that it was passable. It was really nice to sit round the table with Ellen and Dan, shame I forgot crackers too but Ellen, wonder Nana, made some and even made the hats. We didn't get to pull them or make them go bang (we could have done the Good Life trick and said 'bang' but didn't).

Ebay mum had scored a few bits of wooden railway for Leon. We tried to spread out the presents and make sure Leon participated in us opening our presents to avoid melt downs and misunderstandings. He was pretty good but the excitement did get to him by the end of the day. We did boxing day at Ellen and Dan's, they were able to give him a couple more presents, ones that we keep at theirs, like a magnificent tool set. Leon spent much of boxing day afternoon poking his bike with a toy spanner. It must be genetic.

Leon's play is getting more interesting along with his speech. He makes up stories with his train set now and shouts no! no! stop pushing! as Thomas is forced around the track by the naughty trucks, just like in the books. He's obsessed with fire and bonfires and fireworks too, he seems to be setting fire to his cars and then rescuing them, fortunately only in his imagination. Luckily thanks to an early run in with a hot radiator, he has a healthy respect/fear for fire. It doesn't stop his fixation. He talks about the fires in the boilers of the trains, he knows they can be distinguished in that way from the trucks and carriages. I think Ivor the Engine has something to do with this bit of knowledge too, he loves that too. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has become a favorite too he loves the bits when the car flies and floats as much as any other scenes with the car in. Any scene without the car in it he heckles the tv until it's back on screen.

We've managed to escape so far the bad flu bugs so far apart from Tob's been off with a bad cold and both Leon and Reuben have a cough that seems to only really come out at night, apart from runny noses, during the day they are fine. Leon's coughing at night wakes him up from time to time and we've had a few nights where he's been awake at 2am, chatting away to me while I convince him to go back to sleep, which after about an hour he does do, the stuff he talks about is amazing. I can see why way back when, people thought kids could be possessed by the devil, the things he comes up with. Don't ask me what, I'm only half awake too, it just strikes me as surreal the things he talks about, also bare in mind I can only pick up bits as not all of it actually makes sense.

Reuben is sleeping through about 50% of the time, and when he doesn't he wakes up about 5am for a feed and then sleeps until about 8am, which is wonderful. That is, if Leon doesn't wake him up all bouncy like a coiled spring from 6-7am. Leon bounces out of bed into us and jumps on us until one of us takes him downstairs. From the minute he wakes up to when he goes to bed he doesn't stop moving or talking. The catarrh he had had for the past few weeks is suppressing his appetite, I weighed him yesterday and he's lost .4 of a kilo, or just under a pound. He was 14.5 kg on his birthday and he's now 14.1kg. I hope I can feed him back up again soon. For a start Reuben is enormous and will need to go into the forward facing seat so we want him over 15kg to go into a group 2/3 seat by March. Reuben is already in clothes for 9-12m - not width but length, he's a bit chubby but it's mainly sheer stature. He's sitting up reliably, still not rolling over. Weening has only just started, he was 6 months last week, I tried from about mid December but he's only really starting to take an interest now. It has improved the poo situation - it's getting more solid and regular so less major leakage like when it was a twice weekly explosion. It's every day now, sometimes twice!

Leon was taking food out of my hand at 4 and a half months, Reuben is a big baby but has been very relaxed when it's come to introducing food. I breast feed just morning and night now as he prefers a bottle - or rather I prefer not to have my boob out while he looks around the place and takes forever to feed, I need him to be free from distractions to breast feed which just doesn't happen during the day. I had exactly the same with Leon at this stage. 50/50 works well though.

Reuben's very noisy when he plays and likes to make his presence known, he laughs a lot and loves to be tickled. When he wakes up in the morning, quite often he doesn't cry for a while, choosing first to squeal to get attention, which usually works. When I go in the morning, I'm mostly greeted with the friendliest, most playful of grins.

Leon is a charming little boy - I often wondered what it says about me and Tobe that Leon is comfortable to sit on any of my friend's laps and is affectionate with many people he likes, especially other kids dads, more so than the other kids. I don't think it says anything about us, it's just him, he's a people person (some have put it down to him being a Scorpio but that's a bit too much of a generalisation for me). Reuben is charming too but in a different way, I've yet to work out how, but I think he's going to be out going too. They are lovely boys and I feel really lucky as they make parenting mostly a pleasure.

Winter baby

Ely Switch on

Leon now has his own perch on the Silver Cross. He walks pretty much everywhere but usually about half a mile from home again he gives up an takes his place on the pram. It's better than carrying his 15kg body I can tell you. It's also handy when it rains, I can hold a brolly over him as I push the pram which is alot less miserable for him than walking in the rain (unless there's loads of puddles of course!)

On Friday evening, Ellen, Dan and I took Leon and Reuben to the Christmas lights switch on. We didn't stay late enough for the switch on but we did have a good time :)

Weaning time at the Joneses

It's that time again. We've had a really nice quiet family weekend doing as little as possible. I've done very well bidding on Ebay for some wooden railway bits for Leon over the coming year. We started the weaning phase with Reuben today; some banana mixed with breast milk. He took to it really well and followed his satisfying transistion to the world of spoons with the mother of all poos. Fortunatley for me, Toby was changing him. I've been posting the grobags that Reuben's just grown out of on ebay too, so the camera has been out all day. Not bad for a cold wet Sunday.