Back to school today! In spite of changing the clocks yesterday (an extra hour in bed, which somehow the girls let us have!), getting up this morning was a struggle. My bike trailer was packed away yesterday as DH needs the space for the deconstructed summerhouse (collected today), so in spite of the lovely sun I had to drive to school today. Im going to try to buy Soph a bike helmet tomorrow and see what she thinks about the bike seat behind my saddle. Em was quite big when she started using it, and the bike was awfully top heavy, so I like the trailer more. Em thinks Im going to get a tow bar so I can pull her along behind us. Not unless someone gives me one!!! I much prefer the trailer!!! Em came out of school very tired but I managed to perk her up with a peanut butter sarnie and an apple, and managed to get her to Gym Club. When she got home we all sat down to eat dinner. I had already told Em I would just make her a warm milk drink, but she likes chicken legs, and so we managed to stretch the food so she got one leg, two home baked chips and one sprout! But poor baby, she was so tired that she began to cry and couldnt tell us why! Hope she's not coming down with something - it's the start of the week and the start of this half term. Oh well, nothing except school til Friday Night Club!

Soph on the other hand, I know is a little poorly. Poor baby has a tummy upset. Each time I think it's settled since Saturday, we get another yukky nappy. So today she was on toast and breast milk. She's had so much breastmilk over the weekend that I actually knew when I NEEDED to feed her last evening! Havent felt like that in 6 months! That's the beauty of breast feeding - when they're ill, you just give them more of that nice easily digested white stuff and you know they're not dehydrating or anything. I actually had a Dr try telling me once that breast milk was hard to digest, but I think he was confusing it with cows milk. It's not the only bad bit of advice he's given me!

DH picked up the summerhouse with his wonderful dad today. By 6pm they were both so tired that they had to give up carrying stuff, so FIL is staying on until tomorrow to help finish off. Our neighbours were both good enough to let them carry stuff down their paths and out onto the old railway and into our back garden, as our extension is in our way! They were only going to bother one neighbour, but the arch over her gate was too low for some of the bigger pieces! It gave the neighbours a good chance to find out what he's been building recently anyway!

Well, we've been a bit busy hence no Blog for a bit! First we went off to Ipswich, my hometown, and stayed with my parents, and saw my brother & his family. Mum is very confused but intent on trying to still do things, which is pretty wearing for everyone. Dad realy enjoyed being with Emma (she hangs on his every word, and enjoyed soaking in all the information he has in his fly-paper brain) and cooing over Soph. Sophie did what she has a talent for (besides smiling!) and did another 1st for grandparents. Last time it was crawling. This time it was standing without holding on for ages (actually, she clapped lots and bobbed up & down dancing sometimes, for a minute or more). She actually took a couple of teeny tiny steps, but they didnt develop into anything so I dont think we can claim them as walking yet! My clever SIL passed her driving test last week (1st time!) so celebrated by driving over to Ipswich with her DH and DS on board! Em adores all her cousins but this one is only 4 months younger than her and though a very different character they get on very well. So glad to be able to see them like this - they emigrated during 2006 but got too homesick - our gain!

This week was Half Term for Em. On Monday we returned from Ipswich. On Tuesday we went to the Softplay area Em had her birthday in. She was tired and tho she played fine, she wanted to leave after about an hour ("No, I paid for 2 hours, Soph is still enjoying herself, we're staying!"). She only got to be a pest when it was time to leave and she wouldnt. Grrrrr! Actually it was worse than that - picture this - S had just wee'd out of her full nappy & down my trouser leg; after changing her, I was tying Em's shoe laces when she said "I need a wee NOW!" and raced off to the loo, kicking her trainers off en route; she returned having been too late, but still not wanting to go home! I was pretty stressed by the time we got into the car, to put it mildly! Wednesday I had managed to get Em onto the Gym Club holiday course for one morning, so we had to be out of the house early, with everything Em needed for 2 hours plus everything I needed to entertain Soph for 2 hours plus everything I needed to take Soph to the Drs at 11 for her 12 month Hib & MenC Booster jabs. Em had a great time, the Nurse was almost on time, I got a free parking space outside the Drs (a miracle!) and I just about kept Soph occupied. Best of all, I actually managed to beg a regular place at Gym Club for Em for the second half of term (Id begun to think she wouldnt get a place til after Christmas). Thursday I took S to her childminder for 4 hours, then later went to a great shop in town called the Wobbly Plate, where you can paint your own plate, mug etc. I last took Em for her 4th birthday treat, so this was her 5th birthday streat omewhat belated! I decided, why should the kids have all the fun, so while Em painted 2 plates (1 for daddy for Christmas!), I decorated a big mug for my morning coffee (FIL broke mine back in the summer). The owner is now glazing and baking them so I should be able to pick them up after about a week! We spent 2 hours there and had to literally run to the childminder to pick up S, we were so late! Today I drove up with the girls to my friends near Sheffield. This meant 75 minutes on the M1 motorway each way. Going was ok - Sophie fell asleep before we even left town. Em practiced her reading skills, reading out car registrations to me. But I hate the drive home! Sophie cried for 45 minutes, it was dark (I no longer enjoy driving in the dark) and Em was tired so talking TOO quietly behind me and getting annoyed when I kept asking her to repeat herself! But the visit was good. My friends husband was not at work. E has always been scared of him (hes a police officer, so I guess he's too good at being scarey!) but she managed to be brave today and even enjoyed mucking about with him at teatime, seeing who could sing the loudest (what a noise!)!!! We only briefly saw their son, who is my Godson, and is now a fast growing 11 year old. Where does the time go?!  He was Ems age minutes ago! After a gorgeous Roast Lamb dinner (courtesy of the huuby) we went out to a local garden centre to see their Christmas display. What Em & I liked best (though I did resist buying) was a very unChristmassy lion & mouse who duetted singing "In the Jungle... Oooo I win ma way!" We sang along a bit and Sophie laughed at us!

Well, here is a pic of Soph clapping without holding on!

 

Today as I anticipated Soph cut another top tooth (now 2 up, 1 down). She coughed a lot in the night, and isnt shaking off a green snotty cold, so I decided to put off her 12 month Booster jab (Hib & MenC) for a week. Why add to her (& my) miseries?!

Soph enjoyed playing at Toddlers again today - her latest game is to push everything around the floor - baby walkers, trikes, bead-on-wire toys, ride-on cars! It doesnt have to have wheels, or be made to push! Her balance is coming on in leaps and bounds. She had a nap in the car on the way home, but not a long one - I think she coughed awake.

I was about to cycle to school for Em at 3 when the rain arrived. Em was not pleased to miss a chance to cycle home when I met her with the car! Then after dinner I took the girls to the parents evening. As anticipated, Al was stuck on the M6 in slow moving traffic and heavy rain (he didnt get up to 70mph once). He got in at 730pm, 2 hours after the meeting! The teacher was pleased with Emma's academic work, and said she is a quick learner. She said that sometimes she is "not kind" to the other children. Not news to me! Oh well, she is more gentle than she was!

As I was putting Emma to bed, she complained that "no-one wants to play with me"! She got very sad and clingy. I tried all the advice and ideas about how to make friends but she was insistent that she'd tried them all to no avail. Alan arrived during this and decided she was just stringing me along. I hope he's right! Unfortunately for me, she's found my achilles heel. Funny how having kids unearths your own childhood fears! Of course if she'd told me about this before 530pm, I could have talked to her teacher about it! Now I shall have to decide whether to ask to speak to the teacher before half term. I shall probably wait and see - my guess is she had one bad playtime of rejection and blown it out of all proportion. They're all worn out and needing a half term holiday as she is, and therefore grumpy and less tolerant with each other! Oh the heartache of being a parent!!!

On a funnier note, a friend of Emma told his mum he and two friends were playing "pray and run" in the playground yesterday. Only when he demonstrated did she realise what Pray and Run was - first he crouched down low and cupped his hands together, then he jumped up and ran off. Guessed yet? Somebody's been watching the Rugby!

How fast a year goes by when you have kids!

Well, we haven't done a proper job of celebrating Sophie's birthday, but I havent heard her complain  so I guess we're in the clear!

Yesterday we went to a kid-friendly restaurant (with softplay area) to meet up with a distant relative I met while researching family history (she's just "done" East Anglia, meeting up with lots of distant cousins like me) and we used it as an unofficial birthday meal. Sophie fell asleep as we drove into the car park and woke up just before the pudding arrived!

Today it was Toddler Group as usual for Soph and me. I almost forgot to nip away after "singing time" as we'd been invited to a "Pink Party" by a school mum for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we dropped in for long enough to enjoy a cup of coffee and a cake slice, plus to buy some raffle tickets (we won a pink piggy bank!). Then back to the church hall for a mums & toddlers lunch, where I shared around some cakes I'd bought (not organised enough to make a cake this time). After tidying up, there was just time to pop home, drop off the bags and load up the bike & trailer and go off to school for Emma. For the second time, Emma cycled home on the path next to me on the road. She's getting more confident on 2 wheels every time she gets a run. On Friday she did 2 spectacular falls, though bravely got straight back on again. This time she side-swiped a wall but that's all. And ONLY safe road crossings!

When we got home, 2 of Emma's friends were dropped off for an hour by their mum who had a school meeting to attend. Em's friend T was glued to the telly watching Tractor Tom, while Em & his sister M watched for a bit then went and played with Em's marbles. Soph crawled about for a bit then got grumpy. So I fed her. M asked what I was doing to her; "feeding her" "what with" "my milk" "how do you make that?" Oh the questions 6 year olds can ask!

When they went I threw together pasta and a tin of soup as a meal and we had left over cakes from lunch time for pudding. We put the girls to bed then Alan left for Manchester. He should be getting there now - that Motorway never runs well, even this late at night! He should be getting back for a school parent/teacher meeting tomorrow afternoon but it will take a miracle, so I will have to take the girls (not ideal) and go on my own.

Sophie's ad-libbed "birthday cake"!

Unwrapping Emma's present to Sophie - a giraffe cushion. Lots of big sister help needed.

As I discovered last time round, at 1 the best present is the wrapping paper! At 2 it was the box, at 3 it was the BIGGEST present! Only at 4 and 5 did other things start to matter!

I checked in Soph's mouth this morning and now she's cut her lower right front tooth. And by the looks of it there are 3 others only days behind! At this rate she could have a mouthful by her birthday!

A couple of photos of Sophie today. Below is her early birthday present from Grandma & Grandad - she decided sitting wasnt good enough! Actually I think so far this is a bigger hit with Emma than Soph  - she keeps loading Sophie into it and pushing her about the house, even when Sophie protests!

Thought I'd save the best for last - Sophie finally has a tooth! I was texting Grandma this morning saying "she's still gummy" and thought, hadnt I better check? I felt the bottom gum, very lumpy but nothing sharp. Just to be thorough I checked the top - ouch, sharp! So she hasnt read the book about cutting the lower two first, obviously! Sorry about the wonderful view up the snotty nose, for the more sensitive among you! This is the kind of photo digital cameras were made for - you woulnt believe how many shots it took to get this! It's hard to see, but it's top left! At last! This was her due date last year.

I decided to Blog my birth experiences last night. Got a bit carried away and got to bed at 1am! Soph managed 6 hours, then 2. Shame I was so late - I only got an hour before she woke up. Silly me!

I got really tense remembering Soph's birth, shaking almost. It's 51 weeks ago but it was such an intense experience. Anyway, I thought I'd put a link here in case anyone wanted to see them.

Emma

Sophie

The photos are Private, but I think Ive enabled them in that Group (been reading Lightbee's Advice article, lots to learn!).

Well, I can't believe the Rugby result! I decided not to watch it - who wants to watch another whitewash, eh? Typical! Oh well, it's the wrong sport, but it seems appropriate to post this pic in celebration!

Em & Soph were at their friend's 6th birthday party today - a bouncy castle, art and facepainting. And fishfingers or sausages & chips followed by icecream. Then pass the parcel. Nice simple party, very much appreciated by the 20-30 kids who came.

Both Em & Soph scared the life out of me yesterday. No matter how reliable you think your kids are, they will always do something unpredictable & dangerous, wont they? Sophie always seems to cry when she wakes, so I didnt dare strap her into her buggy as I transferred her quickly from car to buggy for the school run, as she would have woken and screamed all the way. So I waited for the crying to alert me so I could strap her in when she woke up... Half an hour later she silently fell out & I practically ran her over! Still in a state internally from this, I told Em we would all cross the busy road together. I looked down the road & saw a lorry coming. I turned to Em to warn her, and was horrified to see her crossing already! She NEVER does this! Well, I screamed and she rushed to the nearest pavement, safe thank goodness. She said she didnt see it. But she knows to wait til I say it's safe to cross! I already had a sobbing Soph in 1 hand and the buggy in the other, and she had got off her bike to push it across, so couldnt hang onto the buggy as she often does. She was really shaken by the incident, so hopefully she's learned her lesson (til the next time!).

DH put the timber joists today and says he needs to do the noggins tomorrow, for the summerhouse. He had to tell me what noggins were. Sounded like a hobbit to me! His dad visited for the day and did a bit more to the patio he's been building for us since I gave birth to Sophie. He started the foundation today! So maybe next summer I will be sat out in my garden on my patio or in my summerhouse - I can almost see it already! In reality I'll then see a weed or the kids up to something, and be up out of my chair straight away!

Yes, Sophie is still practicing pushing her walker & brick truck around! Getting faster and faster - hard to get a pic!

And here's the foundations under way for the summerhouse - timber starting tomorrow, DH says!