It's The Final Countdown!

Today, my little boy is 11 months old.
This time next month, I'll have a ONE year old.  Yikes.

It's a funny thing to ponder really.  On one hand, it feels like a million years since I was waddling around chatting to my bump, but on the other I can't quite believe how quickly the tiny little baby we brought home from hospital has turned into the proper little person I spend most of the day chatting to now.

Eleven months ago, his talents were pretty much limited to lying on his back, blowing bubbles, shouting for food & snoozing.
Nowadays, he hardly sits still. Crawling, climbing, couch surfing, babbling & chattering, trying so hard to find his feet and his first words.
His personality shines through a little more everyday. 
He's so mischevious, so cheeky, but so loving too, he gives great cuddles & big sloppy kisses. He loves meeting people and other babies (particuarly the laydees, he's a huge flirt) and he's a generous little monkey - usually expressed by smooshing his rusk into mummy's face, but the sentiment is good, right?
He's curious and inquisitive - definitely wired a little differently (prefering to climb up his walker than push from behind, and to build towers on the sleeping dog rather than the floor) but that's all part of what makes him brilliant. 
I love watching him develop - every day brings something new - something different to make him giggle, another corner he's managed to get into (and sometimes get himself stuck), something he's never tried before for lunch bringing a smile to his face... it's impossible to get bored.

And as much as I always swore I'd never be one of those 'gushy mummies', It's impossible not to beam with pride and be super proud of the little person he's becoming.

Who knows what skills he'll have added to his bambino CV by the time he's one - I can't wait to find out, but I'm going to try & really savour this last month of him being a 'proper' baby.  And at the same time, try to brace myself for what comes next.  Wish me luck!

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The one where I'm feeling completely out of my depth...

Remember earlier this month I was sick? And I was all relieved that the Little Dude seemed to escape it other than one brief sicky incident & a few dodgy nappies? Well. I jinxed that good & proper.
My little man now officially has the lurgy that's been doing the rounds, and it is horrible.
He's been struggling to keep anything other than water & toast down since Friday, and is feeling very sorry for himself.

I was getting a bit fraught by yesterday lunchtime (read: a lot fraught. A big blubbery overtired mess actually - all panicky he'd start losing weight & end up back in hospital like when he was only a week old, generally feeling totally useless & like the worst mummy ever.), so called NHS direct (after getting no answer from my health visitor or GP - clearly babies just aren't supposed to be poorly on Saturdays - sorry 'bout that.) and spoke to a lovely nurse who calmed me down & said that as long as he's getting plenty of fluids, a few days off his food won't do too much harm.

I don't think that nurse will ever know how grateful I was for that call. I was in such a state, feeling like a crappy mummy, and in just a few minutes, she chilled me out & made me feel a million times better. She probably put the phone down thinking 'ah bless, first time mummy dealing with her first tummy bug - she best toughen up quick!'
And although I did have a slight mini-meltdown when the Daddy got home from work, I think that was more from sheer relief at having some help & a chance to close my eyes for 10 minutes.

It's times like this that make me realise just how much I still have to learn.
And remind me that I am completely responsible for taking care of my little man - that he's completely dependant on me come rain or shine.
And to be completely honest, it sometimes scares the bejeesus out of me.
Things will be ticking along nicely, I'll get comfortable - maybe even let myself think actually, I'm pretty good at this, and bang - something new comes along to remind me I'm still a complete novice.

Today, the Little Dude's much the same - a bit more cheerful when he's awake, but still sleeping a lot. No sickness in the night, so I tried giving him a bottle for breakfast - that was a mistake, but there are wet nappies, and he's still drinking lots of water & munching down his toast, so that's encouraging. And I managed some sleep, so have a slightly less neurotic-first-time-muimmy head on, and am feeling a bit less useless and overwhelmed by it all.

Still, fingers crossed he'll be better tomorrow - I miss my happy smiley little monster.

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Another mummy rite of passage down.

I hate being sick.
I am a terrible patient. I don't like to be nursed, or waited on, or mollycoddled.
I just want to bury myself in my duvet and hibernate till I feel better.

Turns out, you can't really do that when you're a mummy.

A horrible gloomy cloud of sicky bug has been hanging over The Little Dude household this weekend. All the Daddy's fault I hasten to add, he totally started it, then shared it with me, then the poor Little Dude got the dregs of it today. Thankfully, he seems to have got off lighter than we did - though we have gone through 6 changes of clothes thanks to various vomitting/runny nappy incidents. (sorry if that was TMI - you know we're all about keeping it real here at LWALD!) Have been sure to get lots of water down him, and he seems quite happy now - sleeping like an angel & no incidents since 7pm. All good. Touch wood.

I, on the other hand, am utterly exhausted.
Luckily (?!), my portion of the evil out-of-nowhere-virus 'manifested' itself Saturday night/early hours of Sunday morning while the little man was sleeping, but when he woke me up at 7am Sunday morning, holy crap I was an empty shell of a mummy. (Quite literally - that's how sick I was :P). But, the Daddy had to go into work, so it was all on me. And somehow, from somewhere, I found a shred or two of energy, and I got on with it.

Because that's what mummy's do, right?

Sure, we didn't do any dancing, or much chasing around on all fours, but we did read, we built blocks, and we chilled out & we cuddled & we watched maybe a little too much tv. And sure, I did breathe an almighty sigh of relief when the Daddy got home & my tired, achey, dizzy-headed, body got permission to sleeep, but while I had to, I pulled it off.

Which is lucky, because today of course, the little man suffered through his own portion of lurgy & needed his mummy on top form.
He's actually a pretty good patient though - a bit grouchy in places, and quite limpet-like for most of the day, but quite low maintenance really.
(other than the repeated top to toe changes. seriously, felt like I had a newborn all over again :P)

But ANYWAY. Safe to say, we have successfully seen off our first visit from the tummy bug, and we ain't scared of him. (But if he could leave us alone for a while anyway, that would be good.)

Oh and don't worry, The Daddy will be making it up to us for bringing a plague on our house. Oh yes!

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He's been out as long as he was in!

By which of course, I mean, my little boy is NINE months old.  Yikes.

Actually, he was 9 months old last week, but as you more experienced mummys will know, 9 months is a delightful age where suddenly NOTHING is safe, and you can't turn your back for 5 seconds, or sit down for 3 without having to jump back up, fly across the room & run interference between your little darling & some form of impending doom.

It's certainly keeping me on my toes.

But, you know what? I'm loving it.  I really am.  When I was pregnant, my friend (who had 2 under 2 at the time), told me 'every stage you get to, you'll think it's the best yet' - and she was so right.  The 9 month mark is the most fun we've had so far, for sure. The nine best bits being:

1. Kisses. Okay, his technique needs work, in that he basically opens his gob & plants it on my face, but saying 'kiss for mummy?', definitely gets a reaction - and it makes me super gooey :)

2. Cuddles.  Real, proper, clings on for dear life cuddles.  They are THE BEST.

3. Talking. Or at least trying to. He has certainly found his voice, and is having a whole lot of fun exploring what he can do with it. So far we've had a lot of da da da's, a lot of DO which I'm sure is an attempt at dog, lots of gollygollygolly, and most recently, bobobobob.  I don't know who bob is, but the little dude seems to be a fan.  The first Mummy will be any day now... right?!

4. Playing.  All of a sudden, play time is so much more fun, so much more interactive, I'm loving it.  I build him block towers, he crashes them down, then trys to rebuild.  He loves to line his stacking cups up, upside down, so he can put smaller toys inside - that can last for hours.  And of course, the old faithful - peekaboo - oh how we love a game of peekaboo - never fails to make him chuckle away in delight :)

5. Stories - It seems to have happened overnight, but suddenly rather than books being just another something to gum, the little dude now loves to sit & listen to a story - pointing at the pictures, turning the pages - he loves anything of the 'touchy feely' variety, and The Very Hungry Caterpilar is proving to be an early favourite.

6. Clapping - my little man has officially nailed clapping, and it might just be the cutest thing I've ever seen.  He gets so excited & looks all pleased with himself. It's brilliant.

7. Food!  We've been baby-led-weaning since 6 months, and it's one of the best decisions we've made. (It should really have it's own post - *adds to list*) - The Daddy & I are both total foodies, and it seems to be running in the family - there is nothing the little monster won't eat!  I'm so proud of the variety of things he's tried, and how much he seems to enjoy munching his way through his tasty noms :)

8. Early attempts at toddling. I shed a little proud mummy tear the first day he pulled himself up onto his feet - little did I know what was coming next! He never stops. Just desperate to be on his feet - exploring - getting into *everything*. he scoots around so quickly in his walker, I doubt it'll be long before he's walking solo. Then I'm in trouble.

9. The mischief.  Much as he is exhausting me with his new found crawling, standing & wobbling skills, I just love watching his personality developing.  He is such a monkey - absolutely understands the word NO, but chooses just to grin and carry on with his mission of mayhem.  And I can't help grinning back.  I suppose I should work on that.

It's hard to believe this adventure only started 9 months ago.

What's scarier, is that in 3 months, I'll be telling you all about his first birthday. Gulp.

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Hello Twenty Ten!

(Yes, I'm one of those hip & trendy young things who think twothousandandten is a bit of a mouthful. Humour me.)

First: The Little Dude & I would like to wish you all a very happy, if a little belated new year - hope 2010 is full of good times for one & all. Second: The mummy would like to apologise for December's distinct lack of activity - I totally underestimated the things to do : time needed to do them ratio, and ended up all over the place, making internet playtime intermittent at best. (Next year, I will be organised. You just watch me!!)

Festivities all over for another year though, normal service should hopefully be resumed as of... now.

Well, as much as possible, now that the LD is into everything having learned to pull himself up on the sofa (already?!), and gaining semi-crawling speed daily. Safe to say, he's keeping me on my toes! This last month, he seems to have been developing so quickly - first there was the finding of his feet - literally turned round one day to find him stood up holding onto the couch - I squealed in excitement. Then the next day came his first proper da da da, I welled up a little.  Then the next, he properly stacked 3 blocks on top of eachother - more luck than judgement maybe, but clearly I'm now convinced he's a child genius.

I've had a few of those emotional mummy moments over the festive period. Filling up his Christmas stocking, watching him rip open his presents (and of course pay much more attention to the paper than the gifts). Seeing him sat at the table waiting for turkey.  Looking all grown up. Sob!

The worst though, was Christmas night, after our guests had left, and the baby was sleeping (exhausted after a non-stop day!), the Daddy & I were cuddled up on the sofa, chilling wth a glass of vino, and I suddenly thought, 'This time last year, I was still a preggopot. That gorgeous little monster who'd been in at everything all day, was only half cooked!'  And I admit, I shed a little tear, sappy moo that I am.  It was a happy tear though. We had a fabulous time, and I can honestly say, I've never enjoyed a Christmas so much.

And it happened again on New Years - we stayed in, for the first time I can remember, and it was actually lovely!  The daddy & I have a geekish tradition of taking an at-arms-length-self-portrait at midnight (you know the ones, 2x half heads where you're grinning like loonies, eyes half shut because of the flash :P), and 2010 was no different, except this time, there were three faces filling the frame - all ready for a new year and all the goodies it has to offer.  Yep, there was another little happy mummy tear then.

It is scary how fast it's all going though. Eight and a half months, gone in the blink of an eye. If I hadn't taken so many photos, I'd wonder what we did with it.

My 'baby' is ONE in a few months. (Oh you know tears will be shed that day!)  Goodness only know what new skills & tricks he'll learn between now and then, or what He'll get into to make me fly across the room to run interference.  All I do know, is that I am loving this crazy ride, and can't wait to see what happens next.

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Enough of the Gloom!!

So, this week has been, how to put it eloquently - lacking in joy - devoid of merit - snap & crackle without the pop... oh you know, what I'm saying - a bit shit.

But tomorrow, sees the start of a brand new week - a fresh start, bursting with potential. See that positive mental attitude at work? Glowing like the readybrek man - grrrrreat! like Tony the Tiger.  Apparently sleep deprivation sends me into a spiral of breakfast cereal slogan-ing.  Who knew.

The point I was trying to make, is that tomorrow is a new day, a new week, and it's going to be good.

And in that spirit, and as my little boy is now SEVEN months old (meep!), I'm going to start as I mean to go on, by sharing with you 7 of my favourite things about my little 7 month old man...

1. The big gummy grin he gives me when I pick him up in the morning or after a nap.

2. The funny little noises & cute little half smiles he makes when he's sleeping.  Wonder if I'll ever get bored of watching him sleep? Doubt it.

3. His throaty little chuckle when me or his daddy make silly faces or blow raspberries on his tummy.

4. His already excellent music taste, which I fully take credit for.  He lights up at the sound of The Monkeys (as in Arctic, not Hey Hey we're the), ELO, Maximo Park, allsorts of good stuff - I love & look forward to our daily rock-out sessions.

5. Watching him 'play' with the dog. By which I mean, grabbing her & hanging on for dear life (he hasn't quite got 'petting' yet), and his little giggles when she snuggles up & tickles his nose.  I reckon they're going to be best chums as he gets older.

6. The way he holds on so tight when I cuddle him when he's upset. I hate seeing him cry, but love that burying his face into me & clinging his arms round my neck makes him feel better.  Magic mummy cuddles :)

7. Watching him learn something new everyday. He truly amazes me. I love to watch him playing - methodically bashing and squishing and gumming and thinking.  I'd love to know exactly what's going on in that gorgeous little head.  I'm sure he's planning something.

Here's to a fabulous week for mummys (and their little monsters) everywhere xx

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Teething Traumas

Yes, the teething gremlins have arrived chez Little Dude.

Technically, they arrived about a month ago, bringing with them great excitement at the first sighting of a tiny white sliver of tooth (bottom middle right if you're interested).  It was quickly followed by its neighbour - and a tear or two was shed about my baby boy growing up.  I was also super impressed that his first two toothypegs had made an appearance with little more than a hefty portion of drool.  Oh how naive I was.

At the risk of sounding smug & making you all hate me - I've been blessed with a really chilled out, happy little baby, who rarely cries, certainly not for more than 5 minutes.  He grumbles if he's hungry, has a full nappy, or gets overtired.  That's about it.  Or at least it was.

Yesterday, he cried for Three. Hours. Solid.  And I don't mean grumbled.  I mean properly, really cried.  Horrible painful screaming, utterly inconsolable. 

Calpol, Bickipegs, gel, teething ring, frozen carrot stick. 

Fail Fail Fail Fail Fail. 

I felt like the worst mummy in the world, there was absolutely nothing I could do but cuddle him, pace around, and cuddle him some more.  I was so not prepared for so much crying!

He finally gave into sleep just after 10pm, and then was up & grouchy on and off during the night.  I chalked up about 2 hours of sleep made out of 20 minute bursts here and there.  I'm sure I did better than that when he was a newborn!

Thankfully, today has been a breath of fresh air by comparison.  My smiley little boy is back.  For now at least.

And oh I have heeded the warning!

Some of my lovely twitter chums were on hand last night with lots of good advice, so now we are fully prepared for the next onslaught.  There's a flannel in the freezer (thank you @violetposy), we have powders & homeopathic deelies at the ready (muchos gracias @suzypink & @Wendymal), a little pot of carrot & cucumber sticks in the fridge (which if nothing else, will make a good snack for mummy when she's tearing her hair out at 2am), and as a last resort (because I prefer not to medicate if I can possibly help it) there's Calpol & Chidren's Ibuprofen (ta muchly @cafebebe & @ilovemonty).  So, hopefully, we can avoid another three hour scream-fest any time soon.  And if not, I shall try to remember the kind words of @porridgebrain & @kellyfairy & @InsomniacMummy - I'm not a rubbish mummy, teething just sucks.  Or words to that effect.

Still, I can't wait till that gummy little mouth is filled with pearly whites & we can move on to whatever's next.

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The Six Month Milestone

Okay, actually, it was 6 months last Tuesday, but what can I say, being a mummy is a busy job, and it's been a week filled with plumbers, and coffee dates, and a mummy & daddy date, and distractions. And a stupid cold. So, y'know...

Anyway.

The Little Dude, is six months old. One hundred and ninety days today to be exact.

It's an odd feeling - on one hand, I absolutely understand what everyone means now when they say 'enjoy it- it goes too quickly!' - and on the other, I can hardly remember what life was like before being a mummy. (in a good way I mean, not just because of the perpetual exhaustion!)

It's amazing how much has happened in such a relatively short space of time.

My little boy has gone from a tiny little wrinkly pink bundle, just short of 7lb, who didn't care for much else than sleeping, pooping and mummy's boobies, to a wrinkle free 17lb of inquisitive little baby boy, complete with a tooth, who grins, and giggles, and is interested in just about anything and everything he can get his chubby little hands on. (particuarly my mobile, the tv remote, the dog...)

In the early days, we used to spend hours just snuggled up together - in bed, or on the sofa - the little dude feeding or snoozing - gently snoring and blowing tiny bubbles in his sleep - me, gazing in complete awe at the beautiful little person I'd made. (with a little help from the daddy, obviously ;D) From day one I was so thankful to the baby gods for blessing me with such a happy, chilled out little boy - and he was a sleeper too! I kept expecting the bubble to burst, but touch wood, it hasn't! Yay!

Now, our days are spent rocking to mummy's favourite tunes (he particuarly enjoys the work of Maximo Park, The Guillemotts, and ELO - good boy!), dancing, chattering about nothing, going for walks, play dates, and mummy indulging in all manner of silliness to encourage those delicious little giggle-fits.

He's gone from not being able to hold his own head up to rolling around the floor at will, pushing himself up, grabbing anything that looks interesting, just about sitting up unaided, and looking likely to start crawling at any minute.

And then there's the weaning! I love watching his little face each time he tries something new - and the look of sheer joy when he has a fist (and face!) full of rusk, is priceless.

In short, it's been an eventful half a year.
And it's been wonderful. Everyday brings something new, and I'm loving every minute of it.

I can't wait to see what the next six months have in store.

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Accomplishment & Memes & Zombies...

Busy, but lovely weekend here in the little dude household.
It was The Daddy's weekend off, which is always good, because we get to indulge in some 'family time', and I get a lie in on Sunday morning (and coffee brought to me IN BED!! how i love that man of mine :D)

Also, if you're wondering what that fuzzy glow I'm rocking is all about, no, I haven't been at the ready brek, that, my friends, is the smug glow of accomplishment :) The little dude's room is officially finished! The light fitting is fixed, the new shade is up, and the black out blind is fitted. I've also gone through all his clothes, pulled out everything that's now too small, and organised everything else by size. Tidied up *all* the lingering clutter, AND put all the photos I've taken from birth - the end of August into albums. Phew.

And now, I'm even making time to blog! Check me out!! Although I am cheating a little and opting for a meme in place of actual content. It's a start.

I’ve been given allsorts of lovely awards & memes to do lately, but haven’t had the chance to sit down & actually do them yet. I will though, honest.

This one is jumping the queue though, because a. I’ve been tagged twice now, by Kelly and Lorraine (I just realised, if I’d put that the other way round, I’d have been tagged by Lorraine Kelly – hahahahaha!! Yes, it’s the little things that amuse me :D), and b. it’s short and sweet. (and easy.)

So here are the rules…

1. Collect the book that you have most handy.

2. Turn to page 161.

3. Find the 5th complete sentence.

4. Quote the sentence on your blog.

5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

Well, I’m currently reading “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies”, by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith – yes, you read the title right, it’s Elizabeth Bennet at her feistiest, kicking undead zombie butt. It’s fabulous.

I don't get nearly as much time to read as I used to pre-baby (funy that!), but I do try to make a point of reading at least a few pages everyday - just to keep the old grey matter working if nothing else.

Anyway, the sentence I have to share is…

“Regard for my sister’s credit and feelings prevented any public exposure; but my honour demanded a duel with Mr Wickham, who left the place immediately.”

Have I convinced you to give it a whirl?!
If you love the original, and you love zombies, you can’t go wrong. So long as you can keep an open mind and embrace the madness! :D
You can buy it on amazon here.

As for the tagging, oh I hate this bit – I’m always late to the party & end up tagging people who’ve already done it, so I’ll just say anybody who hasn’t done it, and would like to, consider yourself tagged.

Now, back to Mr Darcy…

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Wordless Wednesday: Let's go to the PARK!

Last week, while the sun was still shining (seems like a distant memory now!) the daddy & I took the LD for his first jaunt to the park.
think it's safe to say it won't be the last! (not sure who enjoyed the swings more- the daddy or the little dude!)
And more importantly, there's just something immensely satisfying about being out as a proper little family, you know? Love it. 
*promise* i'll get round to a more substantial post (and all the tags i've had) very soon!! :) ♥

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What a week!

Somehow, it appears to be Monday again - which means I've spent another week neglecting my poor little blog.
But I have excuses! Lots of them!

Firstly: I had a birthday. yes, I am officially 29. And 12 months. Gulp.
(not to worry though, promise I won't be going in for any of that 'proper grown up' stuff.)
Anyway, those of you who follow my twittery nonsense, will know that my Mr had the week off, and was cooking up a surprise for Saturday night... turned out to be a VERY big surprise, in the shape of a party! Had a fantastic time, still have no idea how he managed to keep it under wraps so long... sneaky little monkey.
AND, he even took care of the LD & let me sleep in till 10am the next day, and I escaped hangover free! Good Times :)

(some of my birthday loveliness :D)

Secondly: The rest of the week was spent enjoying some quality Daddy time :) We went on a few mini-day trips, Daddy came to his first baby clinic (LD now weighing in at 16 1/2 lb!!), and we went to the teddy bear's picnic at the childrens centre (so cute :D), we went out for an awesome lunch on my birthday, and even squeezed in not one, but TWO mummy & daddy jaunts to the pub! So yes, safe to say, it was a good week.

Thirdly: The Daddy went back to work Saturday, but to cheer us up, the LD and I went to lunch with Kelly & Piran, and Mrs OMG - yay! The lovely Kelly had scored us a free feed at Pizza Express, so Three Ladies, Two Babies & A Bump, had a thoroughly pleasant time, and will hopefully be doing it again sometime soon :)

And todaaay, my poor little man had his third appointment with the nurse for a dose of evil pointy needles :( He was a very brave little monster though, and now it's all over till he's one, hooray :)

So yes, that lot, is why I've been such a rubbish blogger.
Hopefully things will be back to what passes for normal now, and I can start catching up - I have a bunch of lovey awards to say thank you for, and my google reader is bursting at the seams... who do I see about getting an extra hour in the day?

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Three Magpies or Four?

Remember the Magpie rhyme?
One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy.

Well, on the way to our 20 week scan, we didn't see a single black & white birdie.
Big help.

I knew from the start that I wanted to find out the flavour.
Of course I was more concerned that my little space prawn was doing okay in there and that everything was ticking along as it should be.
And I honestly had absolutely no preference either way, I was 20 weeks pregnant with my first child, more excitable than 20 small children full of sugar on Christmas Eve - either way, pink or blue would have made me grin like a loony, really didn't matter.
BUT, I did want to know.

1. I'm a neurotic control freak. I like lists, I like to plan. I like to be in the know.

2. I hated the idea of the sonographer knowing something I didn't. It was MY baby, in MY belly, how would that be fair??!

3. I'm not really a fan of yellow.

The Daddy wasn't 100% for finding out- one day he wanted to, next he didn't, next he'd say it was up to me... not that it mattered - I was fully prepared to bully him with the whole it's inside meeeee argument :P
But I didn't need to- the big day came, and we both wanted to know.

I lay there nervously - part scared and panicky (please let everything be okay, please let everything be okay), part inwardly squeeing & hoping the little prawn wouldn't be hiding his or her modesty.
On went the jelly, out came the proddy thing.
And there was my baby.
I instantly welled up just like I had the first time and grabbed the Daddy's hand.
The sonographer pointed out the spine, the feet, the heartbeat.
'Is everything good' I asked?
He said it all looked perfect, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I grinned at the Mr & he said 'go on then!'

'Do you know if it's a boy or a girl??!' I gushed
'I know', said Mr sonographer - a little too smugly for my liking.
'Because we only want to know if you're definitely sure.' (told you I was a control freak!)
'You're having a boy.'
'And you're really really sure?'
'Yes. If it's a girl, she's got the biggest testicles I've ever seen.'
Okay, pretty sure then.

The Mr & I grinned at oneanother, clutching our new baby pictures, gazing lovingly at our little boy.
It was like peeing on the stick all over again, our special little secret that only we knew.

Not that it lasted long - we were soon telling anyone that would listen about our blue bump, buying babygrows covered in monsters and robots, deliberating over the perfect name. So much fun.
And I loved that I could start calling the bump 'him'. Every morning when he kicked me awake, I'd give him a rub & say 'morning little dude!'.
When daddy left for work, he'd kiss the bump and say 'Bye little Dude'.
Space Prawn was a prawn no more. he was our little dude, and we couldn't wait to meet him.

And while I can absolutely understand why some people choose to wait, I'm still glad we didn't.

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The one where I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself...

Snuffle. Sniff. Sneeze.
Yeah, I have a cold :( As does the little dude :( Fun, it is not.
(disclaimer: don't worry, it is just a cold - no oinking or sprouting curly tails!)

I feel like this is one of those 'mummy rights of passage' I have to conquer to earn my stripes. Back in the time BLD (before little dude), getting a cold meant bundling up on the sofa for a day or two with tea, biscuits & rubbish daytime telly, feeling a bit feeble until the sneezing subsided.

Now, not so much.

Because despite having his own bout of sniffles (which I am trying to help him with, aided by what I have dubbed the 'snotinator' - essentially, a mini turkey baster designed to suck the snot out of your beautiful child's nose. They don't tell you about THOSE in the pregnancy books!!), the little dude still wants to play non stop, and be entertained, and of course there's the feeding, burping, washing, dressing et al - doesn't leave much sofa time :P

I feel like such a wuss, and I hate it! I'm really not *that* poorly, but because I've not been able to just curl up in a big sneezey ball for a while, I'm exhausted! And I really should stop complaining - the Mr came home, bearing dinner *and* chocolate, made me tea with honey & lemon in, and has offered to take care of feeding duties tonight so I can get some sleep - but then I feel all guilty because he's up at the crack of dawn for work!!

ARG! The joys of motherhood eh?

On a brighter note, even while battling with his first cold, the little dude has now well and truly mastered the art of the rollover. I'm very very proud :)
He's been trying it for weeks, but couldn't quite manage to flip his over-sized baby head, now, it's not a problem. And now he knows how, he wants to do it *all* the time. Don't think crawling is a million miles away - mummy really needs to get in shape!

And now, I must go blow my nose. I've totally lost count of whose nose I've wiped more often today. And incidentally - baby wipes make great tissues - no scratchy sore red nose is one advantage of having a baby when you have a cold!

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What a difference 16 weeks makes!

The little dude has been here for 112 days today!
It amazes me how much he’s changed in that time – aside from over doubling in size! He’s constantly smiling now (oh how I love that big gummy grin when I get him up from his naps!), getting more vocal by the day, and *this* close to sitting up unaided!

He’s so much more interactive too – with me, his daddy, other babies – the dog!
Rather than just looking all cute and dinky & sleeping & pooping, he’s developing a proper litle personality - he's a total chatterbox, grabbing everything he can get his hands on, always looking round, taking everything in. He’s brilliant.

And of course, I’ve done 16 weeks of intensive mummy-training too, and d’you know what? I think I’m actually getting pretty good at it!

- I can change even the most explosive nappy in less than a minute
- I can get the LD dressed in less than 5 – without worrying that I’m going to bend an arm the wrong way or twist an ankle! (his, not mine :P)
- I can (at a push) have us both washed, dressed, fed & out the door before 10am
- I can tell the difference between cries for ‘I’m hungry!’, ‘I’m bored’, ‘I need a new nappy!’, never believed that would happen!
- I can trust myself to know that the LD is well fed without having to neurotically set alarms on my mobile to make sure he’s feeding 3-hourly-on-the-dot-like-clockwork (I love that one!)
- I can pretty much count on getting at least 6 hours of sleep at night! (Love that one even more!)
- I can do a whole bunch of things one-handed.
- I can multitask like no ones business – loading the washing machine while making bottles, eating toast & brushing my hair? No problem.

Don’t worry though, I’m not about to get to get all smug & complacent – I’m well aware that there’s still lots to learn!

The LD will be crawling before I know it (what do I do then when I need to nip to the loo? Can’t just leave him lying on his play mat, safe in the knowledge he’ll still be there when I get back!!), and of course weaning is on the horizon (am currently reading up on babyled weaning after everyone’s advice – interesting stuff!), plus a million other new challenges I haven’t even thought of yet.

Honestly though, I’m loving every minute of it.
Who knows what the little dude & I will have learned in another 16 weeks?
All I do know, is that I can’t wait to find out.

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I weally weally wanna wean!

So the little dude is now 15 weeks old - still two weeks away from what 'they' (the all knowing, all powerful, super health professionals!), say is the absolute earliest a baby should start having solid food. (not that baby rice strikes me as all that solid, but whatever.)

The signs 'they' tell you to watch for, include:

~Attempting to put things in his or her mouth - has been attempting to get his whole fist in his mouth since day one - is now also trying my fingers, any and all available toys, muslin squares, his feet, and occasionally, the dog.
~Making chewing motions - again, since birth!
~Doubling their birth weight - check.
~Holding his or her head up and controlling head movements ~Sitting well when supported - yep & yep.
~Displaying curiosity about what you are eating. - And then some! I was having lunch with a friend yesterday, LD was sat on my lap, dropped his squeaky giraffe, as I leaned over to retrieve it, he launched himself at my sandwich!! Don't try & tell me that wasn't planned - the little monster is smarter than he lets on!!

So my question, is this:
Am I being an irresponsible mummy if I go for it at 17 weeks, rather than waiting for the more widely recommended 6 months?
Mummies whose monsters are already munching (loving the alliteration today aren't I?), when did you start?
And also, what do I need?

I'm very aware of not wanting to feed the little dude jars of processed mush - I'd much rather he had home cooked mush. So is it as simple as just blending tiny portions of whatever we're having? Or do I need to make separate cuisine for mushing up?

I know, I am the picture of cluelessness!!
All I am good at so far, is gazing lovingly at all the tommee tippy spoons, and bowls, and dinky little pots for putting stuffs in (I don't know what stuffs though), and some more cute little bowls... and maybe a sippy cup... oh, and those bibs that are like overalls! God I love baby shopping :D

Need help please!

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Brave Little Soldier.

We were having a lovely morning, the little dude & I.

He treated me to a 7.15 lay in (that's 3 in a row people, yay!), we had our usual post-breakfast chat & singsong, and then he went down totally fuss-free for what's become affectionately known as 'the jeremy kyle nap' (because it coincides with Mr K's shameless parading of many unfortunates, which i never ever used to dream of watching, but since maternity leave started, has been slowly weaseling it's way into my daily routine. oops.)

While my little man was in the land of nod, I checked emails, caught up with my google reader, found that I'd won a competition!! (excitement - I never win things!), and replied to texts. One of which, was from my friend S, to say yes, we are free for lunch with her & her little boy Z on Monday, fun stuff.

Before the arrangement details got lost in the candyfloss that is my brain, I grabbed my diary to write them down.

Crap crap crapity crap.
There, in pink capitals (you know, so that I wouldn't forget!) was:
DYLAN - DOCTORS - JABS ROUND 2 - 1PM!!!

Note to self: diaries only work if you remember to look inside them occasionally.

At that moment, I kid you not, the heavens opened & the rain fell down.

Brilliant.

All that said though, the J - A - B's weren't nearly as bad as last time - once again the little dude didn't even flinch at the first one, but did turn almost purple after the 2nd.
*but* rather than crying all the way home & then falling asleep, this time he was over it before we even left the surgery. Progress helped along largely, by funny bug, his latest favourite toy.

We must never, ever, lose funny bug.

And now? He's sound asleep, completely oblivious to why there's a tiny red dot on each leg. And once again, I feel like a big girl for getting myself all worried about nothing. But I already know I'll do it all again next month. Thank goodness that'll be the last lot for a while.

And that funny bug will be on hand to help... assuming he hasn't been usurped by something noisier of crinklier or fuzzier.

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Proudest Mummy Ever :)

So not only has my little man mastered the art of pushing himself up off his tummy, but he's also slept through to a reasonably respectable 6am for the last two nights!!

not bad for a day short of 12 weeks I think you'll agree? :D

I always promised my friends I wouldn't become one of those mummys who goes completely over the top about every tiny achievement her baby makes, but do you know what, it's impossible, and I make no apology!
I love my little man. He amazes me daily & I'm pretty sure I'll never ever get bored of beaming proudly about all his new found skills :)
(probably a good thing I started this blog really, or I may end up on a slippery slope to no-friends-ville :P)

That said, here's hoping I haven't just well & truly jinxed the whole sleeping thing so that he decides 20 minutes will do nicely tonight.
Nah. That won't happen. Right?

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All aboard the guilt train!

So all of you more experienced yummy mummys will most likely read this either nodding sympathetically or thinking 'ah, bless the naivety of the newbie', but really, none of the baby books mention it - The All Consuming Guilt that comes with your pass to the mummy club!

It starts while you're a preggopot:
-guilt about not eating like a super duper health goddess
-guilt about thinking 'antenatal yoga classes, what a good idea', then never actually doing anything about it
-guilt about those boozy nights before you realised you were pregnant and the damage you might have already done to your tiny unborn child.

And then just gets worse in labour & beyond:
-guilt about giving in to the drugs when your au-naturel birth plan goes awry
-guilt about just wanting to sleeeeep
-guilt about secretly not actually liking some of the 'lovely' gifts people give
-guilt about not sending thank you cards, replying to texts, answering phonecalls...
-guilt about eating chocolate digestives for breakfast
-guilt about leaving your wide awake baby all alone in their moses basket for 2 minutes because you simply have to pee & there's nobody else home!
...the list goes on. and on :P

However, the busy-busy of the last fortnight has made me a little late in mentioning the worst guilt so far: the little dude had his first round of injections last week - oh the trauma!

I'd been dreading it since the appointment slip came through the door (I HATE needles, so the thought of someone sticking them into my tiny little baby was not good!), but the day came, and I was brave - faked being all super happy & calm so as not to worry the little man.
We sat there in front of the nurse, and her two evil syringes.
I babbled to the noodle like a loony, keeping him distracted.
She landed the first one.
He didn't even flinch. Not a peep. I thought 'Brilliant!, what was I worried abut?!'
Second leg, Second jab.
Oh dear.

My little man turned to me with the biggest pout I've seen so far, a look of 'what did you just let her do?', went very red, then let rip with an almighty scream.
Which continued most of the way home.

I have never felt so guilty in all my life!
Of course *I* know that it's for his own good, but there's no way of explaining that to a pouty little baby who's looking at you like you've just utterly betrayed him!

Thankfully, he went off to sleep when we got home & woke up having forgotten all about it - no bad reaction, no need for the baby calpol I'd stocked up on, all good.

But of course, we have to do it all again next month.
And again the month after that!

I just hope it's not like when we take the dog to the V-E-T - when we turn that particular corner and it suddenly dawns on her that we're not just out for a lovely extra long walk after all.
When we're sat in the waiting room, will he remember the last time & try to make a break for it?! Or will mummy's crazy-lady babbling & toy-shaped distractions be enough to keep him occupied?

Oh I hope so.
But either way, the guilt train will definitely pull in again as soon as I see those evil pointy needles.
The little dude might not remember it all in years to come - but I certainly will!

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Mummy Rocks (though not quite as hard as she used to)

So this weekend was spent at Nannie & Grandad Church's - our first 'weekend away' since the little dude arrived.
It was lovely, but also incredibly busy & utterly exhausting!

The main reason for the trip was that the daddy & I had tickets to go see Blur in Hyde Park on Friday, & Nannie C was babysitting for the day - they live in Guildford & we really don't visit as much as we should, so we decided to stay the whole weekend.

Sooo, first 'holiday'(ish - does a 3 day stay with the inlaws count as a holiday?) with baby - PLUS the first time I had to leave the baby with someone else for a whole entire day rolled into one - GULP.

Getting ready to leave, was stressful.
You'd think I'd be used to how much stuff my tiny little person needs carted around by now - and to be fair, I have - when it's just a few hours out & about in town - but THREE days? that's a whole 'nother ball game.
Nappies, wipes, bottles, breast pump, steriliser, formula? Check.
Huge bundle of clothes? Check.
Extra clothes incase of sick and or poop incidents? Check.
Loopy links, rattle, cuddlies, bibs, blankies, books, baby calpol 'just incase'? Check check checkity-check.
But, we got there eventually, and I didn't forget anything. Well, nothing important anyway ;)

Leaving for the train station on Friday morning, leaving my little man behind - for the whole entire day - for the first time ever - well that was just horrible.
I know, I know - I need to have a life outside the baby, he needs to learn to get along without me sometimes, D & I need time to be a couple, not just 'mummy & daddy' - blah blah blah, YES, I know & agree with all of that - but wow, it really doesn't make it any easier!!
I was pretty good though - I was a tiny bit tearful after kissing him goodbye, and I had a few little wobbles through the day (most notably when Damon sang end of a century - that's where the little dude's 'dirty little monster' nickname comes from), but on the whole, I coped.

And we had a fantastic day. The gig was incredible, and it was nice to feel all free & crazy & young & wild again for a few hours.
Or as wild & crazy as a girl with a felt fish finger puppet in her handbag can feel.
(finding that in there may have caused one of the wobbles :P)

But as brilliant as it was, I was *SO* happy to get back & squish the little man. I missed him tons.

The rest of the weekend, was a whirlwind blur of nannie & grandad time, doing the rounds visiting D's rellies - great aunties, great grandad, second cousins... and it was nice, but all very busy, very hot, very tiring.
Getting home this afternoon was a good feeling.

And cuddling up on the sofa with the little dude & the daddy this evening, just the three of us, was even better :)

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Relatives, Restaurants & Reminders

So I've been a little quiet on the blog front, because we had visitors - my auntie & uncle came down from Glasgow to meet the little dude :)

It was lovely actually - I hadn't seen my auntie in *ages*, so it was good to catch up, and she was more than a little taken with her great-nephew (despite the fact that the 'great' bit makes her feel everso old!!) - hence the big chunk of spoiling & me not getting a look in at pushing the pram for the last few days!!
(Have noticed a trend there - whenever a relative visits, they insist on pushing, don't they? Which is all well & good, and it's nice to have a rest - but I get so used to being attached to the wheels, I don't know what to do with my hands when someone takes over!)

She also insisted on taking us out for dinner - Little Dude's first restaurant experience! Having asked google for baby-friendly-eateries, we decided on 'Ask' for a spot of Italian. I got the little man all dressed up, packed everything but the kitchen sink into the nappy bag (bottle, bib, burp cloth, toys to keep him amused, dummy just incase, cuddly toy and so on...) and... he promptly slept through the whole 3 courses! absolutely good as gold, didn't make a peep!
Ah well, perhaps he's a little young to care about fine dining ;)
We had a lovely meal though - and I managed a new PB of *three* glasses of wine - hic!!

And now we've sen them off, it's back to what's curently passing for normal!
Which brings me to reminders - my new best friend, is a pad of post-it notes. Since becoming a mummy, my multi-tasking skills are better than ever. My memory, is not. I can't tell you how many times I've got to the shops with absolutely no idea what I wanted. Our tax credit form has been on the to-do list for about a month because I keep forgetting about it. I have called the daddy 3 times today to ask what time we're meeting friends at the weekend. My head is like a sieve, and unless I write things down, they just don't happen. And sometimes not even then :P

Any more experienced mummies want to tell me that the memory loss gets better? Or have any top reminder tips to share?!

Oh, and lastly, just wanted to say a very big thank you to the lovelies who have left me blog awards & things lately - i'm very flattered!!
I haven't had a chance yet to put together the posts you're supposed to do & then forward & what not - but I'll get to it soon, promise! :D

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