The pox!

Insert joke about tomcat

Not his best side

Monday, we woke up, took one look at Tom and thought - humm, this isn't good.  Had a chat with ShropDoc as it was Bank Holiday (Tom makes a habit of getting ill either on  Sundays or Bank Holidays when there are no surgeries open anywhere!)

Guess what - it IS Chicken Pox, so we could have visited Karen anyway.

Matt was rather nervous as it is thought that he didn't have Chicken Pox as a child and it can be quite bad for adults to get - plus we are off to Japan in 2 weeks!  According to ShropDoc, it's too late to do anything about it as he was contagious 2 days before he got any spots and it is very very contagious.  Even so, we called Karen to see if she and Leia wanted to see us - they did so we left Matt at home and went off to see them.

Superbiker

An interesting weekend.  We were supposed to go to Manchester to spend the weekend with Karen and Leia, but Leia came down with Chicken Pox and as we are off to Japan in 2 week's time we thought it wasn't worth the risk and stayed put.  On Saturday we went to Attingham Park for our usual lap followed by lunch in a pub.  During his bath I noticed a couple of spots on his back and said to Matt - wouldn't it be ironic if they were chicken pox spots...

Sunday as for once it wasn't raining we decided to go to British Superbikes in Oulton Park.   

Trackside at Oulton Park

Being a Bank Holiday it was race day on the Monday, so Sunday was qualifying day.  We also got a race left over from a very rainy day earlier in the season.

Anyway we turned up in good time and found a good place to pitch our half tent near the track.  Tom got very excited, jumping up and down in the tent, playing football and showing off his riding skills on his bike (he even got a round of applause from a group of on lookers when he negotiated a hill)

Tommy Hill - our man

He wasn't 100% sure about the bikes as they went round, he said he was a little bit scared, but he didn't cry and he was genuinely interested.  One of the main riders in British Superbikes is 'Tommy Hill' we thought Tom might want to support him as they share names.  Tom quickly learnt Tommy's colours and shouted 'Come on Tommy' each time he came round.  He obviously did him some good as he came first in the qualifying and won the race.

Shane Byrne

Anyway, Tom did really well as it was a long day.  At one stage he said he was tired and went to sit in the car for a while, but he didn't sleep and seemed to find even more energy and raced around some more.  He was asleep within 5 minutes of leaving the track though.

Not being organised for the weekend we decided to grab dinner at the Clock Tower - in the end Tom didn't get to bed until 9pm - what a dirty stop out.

Oh - spots hadn't gone away and were looking a little worse...

Liverpool

Last week we decided to organise a trip to Liverpool, mainly because we fancied good nosh at Etsu (our favourite Japanese restaurant in the UK).  We thought that Tom might like to go there by train, so looked up London Midland and found that there was a 50% sale on train tickets for this weekend, so we booked them tout suite.  Later in the week I phoned up Etsu to book us in for a late lunch, to find out that they didn't open until 5pm, poo - our tickets had us back on the trains then!  

Oh well, I remembered that some friends of ours went to Liverpool with there then 3 year old and had a good time in a place set up specially for that age group, so I did some hunting around and found the place - Under Water Street, so we booked in for there.  Saturday morning we got up bright and early and got the first of 8 trains to Liverpool - we chopped and changed as many times as we could to give Tom as many rides as we could.  Just as well we did as if we had waited for the through train we would have been disappointed as it was cancelled.  This also meant that Tom got his first ride on a pendolino which he loved.  In fact he was really good for the whole trip - hardly fidgeting at all and every interested in everything he could see.

We got to Liverpool in good time and then got the underground to James Street from where we walked to Under Water Street.  When we got there it was empty which was good (Tom's still not great in crowds and noise, although he is getting better).  The concept of the place was good - lots of different areas with different themes and activities, but it was a little tired and old - lots of the equipment was broken / very worn.  However, Tom didn't notice this and toddled around exploring - he enjoyed the water area, painted a mini, loved putting play bricks in a wheelbarrow and wheeling them around, and then placing them in a pulley system to get them onto a work area - in fact he made the wheelbarrow his own and got very upset if anyone else wanted a go!

Painting a Mini

Unfortunately he didn't seem to want to relax and enjoy himself fully and was whining quite a bit, so I thought we should have lunch to see if it perked him up.  Lunch was a bit of a joke - took them about 20 minutes to realise they didn't have what I ordered, I then ordered something else - they didn't have that, then something else - they didn't have that - so I just asked them to make me something they did have!  Not great!  Anyway it finally arrived, it was poor, but we ate up (all of us were hungry).  We then went for another explore - he was the weatherman on TV, went up a climbing wall and made lots of bubbles, however, he still wasn't really enjoying himself, so we gave up and decided to go for a walk along the docks instead.

Liver Boy

Wow Liverpool has changed a lot recently.  The whole of Pier Head has been transformed, next to the ferry terminal are two new museums - The Beatles Story (open) and the Museum of Liverpool (which didn't look open, but on investigating since being back, we have discovered it is open).  Anyway we didn't stop at either as we were heading to the Albert Dock to the Maritime Museum - as we had promised Tom boats.  He had a fab time there - there are loads of scale models of various boats - Titanic etc  which he enjoyed seeing - apparently I made all of them (I have been busy).  Anyway, he really perked up and enjoyed himself.  

Walking on Stilts

Half way round we were fetched by some museum staff to try out some circus skills (not sure what that has to do with Maritime History but it was fun!)  People of all ages were catered for so I had two grinning boys - both on stilts - little plastic ones for Tom and big wooden ones for Matt.  Anyway a good time was had by all - Tom really got the hang of his stilts - I was really impressed with him - he kept falling over, but laughed and got back on to try again.  He also had a go at some long swirly things that he had to swing around - but he was too short and they kept dragging along the floor, meaning that he dropped them.

After expending all that energy we had tea and a bun and then continued round the museum - very very big.   Once we started flagging again we headed back to James Street for the underground to Lime Street.  We found ourselves another Pendolino to Stafford.  We had a picnic for dinner, wow, Tom was hungry he ate everything put in front of him without a murmur - he must have been hungry.  He even ate a tupperware of raspberries meant for all 3 of us and a whole banana!

Tom was a bit fidgety on the trains home - I think he was tired - it had been a very long and exciting day.  Unfortunately he ruined it a little bit on the way home as he did a poo in his pants in Wolverhampton - but apart from that he was good and went straight to bed on our return home.

Sunday it rained, rained, rained.  So we went swimming in the morning.  We have discovered a new swimming pool in Telford at the Abraham Darby Academy which has is depth adjustable.  They have it at 0.8m for parent and toddlers, meaning that Tom can stand if he wants - giving him extra confidence (and us sore knees!).  We had a mini break through: Tom swam about 3 meters by himself - arms and legs going - but he did it for the first time which was fab, we might just be getting there - we have resolved to go as much as we can to work on his new confidence.  

After that we went to Tom's club for lunch, then he had a much needed 2 hour nap.  AND then in the afternoon he did a POO in the POTTY - hurray!!!!!!!  He got showered with praise, hugs, cuddles etc Let's hope he does another one soon.

Wibble wibble little star

Today Tom sang his first song:

"Wibble wibble little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the clouds so park

park, park, park, park, park, park, PARK"

We were on the way to meet with Mae at the park - I think it was on his mind.  Anyway it was really cute!

Oh and Tom had a fab time at the park - as you can see from the video.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

So Tom has seen most of his family in the last couple of weeks, so we decided to round it off with a half way meet with his Granma and Pop Pop in Bristol.  The weather was looking OK - ie cold but not raining so we decided to visit the zoo - it's been a long while since I've been there!

Roar!

We set off at 9.00, got there just before 11am, luckily Granma and Pop Pop got there before and called and talked us to the same parking space as them otherwise we could have gone round and round in circles trying to find them.  The sun was shining, but it wasn't warm - where has the warmth gone????

The zoo was much smaller than I remembered, which was good, just about the right size for little legs.  Tom behaved very well - his favourite place was the aquarium - note to selves: next rainy day we should go to the Sealife Centre, once again the boring grey fish were his favourite.  Other than that, I think the pygmy hippos closely followed by the gorillas were the best.  The lions were also good - the big male lion was 'playing' with a horse's head - Tom called it a meatball which was cute.  Anyway Tom took it all in his stride and managed to keep going without getting tired.

Cute

After a good lunch, we finished off the zoo and ended up in a Splash zone - fantastic area for toddlers a little stream going through waterfalls, waterwheels, a bridge, a fountain etc etc.  Tom LOVED it.  We rolled up his jeans, took his shoes and socks off and he potted about quite happily even though the water was freezing.  He really really enjoyed it, he kept holding up the end of his jeans as if they were about to fall down.  Really funny.  Once we dragged him away from there he had a play in the play ground.  We then went into the parrot area where lorikeets fly down to eat nectar that you can purchase.  I did it so Tom could watch, he watched with interest and then did it himself really well, then unfortunately a bird landed on his shoulder which he wasn't expecting and shocked him which led to crying.  What a shame as he had such a good day.  Oh well, another play in the splash area sorted him out.

Trousers up

At 5 o'clock the zoo was emptying and Tom was showing signs of tiredness so we made our way back to the cars, said our goodbyes and made our way back.  Tom was asleep in minutes and stayed asleep for a good 1.5 hours (a sign of a good active day).  Once he was awake we turned off the motorway and searched for a pub for dinner.  We found a cheap and cheerful one and ate up (Tom polished his plate off).  We then got on our way again.  It was just before 9pm when we got back, Tom really didn't know what to do with himself, he stayed awake, but was limp in his chair - must have been wondering what on earth we were doing.  Anyway a good day was had by all.

House

Oh forgot to say that two weeks ago we had the new Estate Agent round to photo the house - it was good timing as it was really sunny.  We then went away to London, came back on Monday, had our first viewers on Wednesday, got an offer 10 minutes after they left, did some negotiation and accepted an offer on Thursday.

I guess the trip to Ikea worked!  Thanks Rachel.

If you are curious to see what the house looks like, take a look at the link:  59 Eastwood Drive

The plan was to keep it really clean and tidy, but with the offer, standards have already slipped!  Anyway, it won't happen quickly as they can't move until September, but that suits us.

Meeting up with Uncle Martin

On Easter Sunday we planned to meet up with Martin, Ben and Mia.  They were over visiting from Australia for a couple of weeks and managed to squeeze us into their very busy schedule.  We did a half way meet up - in Cheltenham.  As the weather was predicted to be bad, we planned to meet up in a soft play area - so something to do with the kids and a chance for us to chat.  We checked their website - open everyday of the year it said.  WRONG!  We turned up and it was closed.  Oh hum.  So we had an early lunch and decided to risk going to a park as although it was cool and cloudy it wasn't actually raining.  This we did, and how lucky we were.  The park was just fab - a big play ground for toddlers, a big grassy area for playing football and a number of aviaries with weird and wonderful birds in (which Mia especially liked)  So, in short something for everyone.

Tom had his bike and was in a particularly dare devil mood and went racing all over the place.  We decided to explore some more which involved going through a subway under the road (Tom did this freewheeling which involved a steep gradient - we all had our hearts in our mouths as he sped away, but he was fine)  We found a big lake and did a circuit, then ice creams by the lake.  Matt, Martin, Ben, Mia and Tom then went rowing across the lake in Swallows and Amazons style for a while leaving me to look after all the bags and balls etc.  Then another circuit of the lake, half an hour playing football before saying our goodbyes.

Zonked out in the car, clutching his new Thomas jigsaw .

It doesn't sound like much but we had a really good time.  All the children were on good form, as were the adults, everyone was relaxed and time just flew.  We took a very tired and happy little boy home with us.  He was asleep in minutes.

Anyway, thanks Martin, Ben and Mia, a fab day and we look forward to visiting you in Australia sometime next year.

A Sunny Break in London

A lift on Grandpa

It was Grandpa's birthday at the end of March, so we decided to go and visit him and Grannie down in London to celebrate. We did our usual thing of picking Tom up after nursery on Wednesday morning and driving straight to London - roads relatively empty and Tom relatively tired meaning a pleasant trip down - especially as the weather was so good as well.

We got to Mortlake in good time, we even managed to visit Grannie in her shop (Tom on his tiger bike)  before it closed.  He didn't show any signs of shyness or nervousness and threw himself into being a doted on grandson in no time at all.  He even ate well - which was fab.  

Tom has grown quite a lot since we last visited (last July), we were pretty sure he wouldn't fit in their cot again, in preparation for this we converted his cot into a cot bed at the beginning of March to give Tom time to adjust to sleeping in a bed.  This he did with no problems (apart from falling out of it the first night  onto his bean bag we had strategically placed by the side of his bed to cover this eventuality).  We bought a little wedge of foam to put under the covers and stop him falling out and since then he's been fine.  He hasn't worked out yet that he can get out of bed, out of his bedroom and cause havoc if he so wishes, not sure how long it's going to take him to work that out - so far so good, but we are dreading to hear the pitter patter of little feet in our bedroom late at night / early in the morning.  Anyway, this was all done so he could sleep in the single bed at Grannie and Grandpa's.  This he did without any trouble at all, in fact he really liked his bed (duvet cover had diggers / buses / tractors etc on it which kept him entertained very well).  So that's another milestone met!

Mammoth transport

Thursday dawned a beautiful sunny and warm day so we decided to revisit Beale Park - once again he did really well and showed off his new found confidence by walking off to play in the sandpit by himself whilst we sat and had drinks (note to self, next time we go, we must take buckets and spades to play in the sand with).  We had a good look at the animals, a ride on the train, more animals and lunch.  The afternoon was spent in the Little Tykes village where Tom rode bikes / cars, conquered a castle and generally had a lovely time pottering about.  Gave us all a chance to sit down and enjoy ice creams - we had to shelter in the shade as it was getting ridiculously hot!  After a while it was clear that he was flagging so we called it a day and returned home.

Friday we split into girls and boys for the day.  Grandpa, Matt and Tom went riding trains including the  Docklands Light Railway which is unmanned - meaning that Driver Tom could be in charge - I hear he did a good job.  Pat and I went into London for some sightseeing - Borough Market (beautiful food - expensive prices), The Globe Theatre - very interesting and much more ornate than I was expecting, across the wobbly bridge to St Paul's and a new shopping centre next door with a roof top cafe overlooking the cathedral - all very nice but I'm not sure Pat and I were their target market - we brought the place down with our fleeces and jeans and order of coffee and juice - should have been in designer wear and ordered bubbles.  Pat and I then split up and I had 2 hours to amuse myself (not often I get that) before meeting up with Lindsey for dinner at Belgo's on Kingsway - my old stamping ground.  Had a lovely time, lots of gossip - mainly around Lindsey emigrating to Australia (another great excuse to go there next year) but before we knew it we were both yawning and so said our goodbyes and returned to our homes.

The train's coming!

Saturday, the weather had turned - poo!  Thick cloud and quite a bit colder than it has been.  Oh well, we all went to Windsor for the day, to look at castles, explore the train station, discover one of the best toy departments I have ever seen (in Daniels Department store) and take the train to Slough to go and watch the fast trains whizz through the station.  Slough wasn't a huge success, the trains were too fast and too noisy and too windy, but hey unless you try you never know!  We had lunch at Cafe Nero (paninis all round) and then took the train home.  Tom had a nap when he got back - very active days and going to bed late at night taking their toll on him!

Sunday we had sunshine again, but it was cold - boo hoo!  We had been invited to Jake's 4th birthday party in Aylesbury today, so decided to make a day of it and went to the Ashridge Estate in the morning.  Unfortunately we forgot to bring Tom's bike with us as this place would have been perfect for it, but we had a good enough time with the football and climbing on fallen trees, hiding in dens etc.  We had a fabulous lunch there - freshly bbq'd burgers for Matt and I and a huge hot dog for Tom and the best selection of cakes I've seen for a long while.  Before we knew it, it was time to head to Aylesbury and see the cousins.  We got there early so they could have some time with each other before the other guests arrived, once the other guests arrived it was the usual chaos of a party, not helped by the fact it was a gorgeous day and the hall they had it in was set in a sports field with a play ground, meaning that everyone did pretty much their own thing.  Oh well, I got to spend quite a bit of time with Amber which was good.  I've never been 'allowed' to hold her before as she has always demanded Mummy when I've been around, but today she was happy to be held with me which was nice.

Monday came all too quickly, and we went home via Upton House in Warwickshire where we had a picnic and a ramble around the grounds in the sun before coming home.

Anyway, big thanks to Grannie and Grandpa for looking after us all and playing with Tom so nicely - he had a fabulous time and keeps telling us how much he is missing you.

Magical Day Out

Flat out

Two Saturdays ago we had wonderful warm sunshine (most likely this year's Summer), so we donned our t-shirts, shorts and sandals and decided to visit Powys Castle for a family day out.  The sunshine shone on us, until we entered Wales and then thick mist rolled over the car and got thicker and thicker.  Well done us!  The whole country was bathed in sunshine and we managed to find the only bit which was cold and cloudy!

We continued on, ever hopeful that it might clear (it didn't) and parked up in an almost empty car park - we desperately looked for the sunshine but could only see a thin disc of light behind thick clouds.  Oh well - we were determined to have a good day anyway.  Matt had cold wet feet and I had cold legs, Tom of course was well prepared and appropriately dressed.

There is something about Powys Castle, whenever we have taken Tom there we have had a fab day out and today was no exception.  Tom was immediately in a good mood and decided that he was going to spend the day playing football.  (Something to do with him wearing his Ajax top maybe?).  And off he went kicking his football all along the terraces, down the steps (where Matt had to crawl though undergrowth to retrieve it after Tom pushed it through some bushes) and down to the grounds at the bottom of the house.

The grin

At that stage I went to the loo and told the weather to clear up and be sunny when I came out.  Lo and behold, I came out into sunshine AND it was warm too.  Hurray!!!!!!  We made our way to the fountain (Tom's favourite play place in the property), striped back down to T-shirts and had a wonderful time playing football, hide and seek, dipping hands and balls into the fountain, eating our picnic, having races and generally having a lovely time in the sun.

Standing on Mummy

Tom played and played and played, he was on such good form it was a pleasure to be with him.  He didn't tire at all - even after doing about 4 circuits of the grounds, he just kept going and going.  His football really came along as well - kicking it straight and at a run which he hasn't done before.  Eventually the heat got too much and we decided to go on an ice-cream hunt, so went back up to the property to see if we could find one, which we did.  Now, we spent our last holiday in Spain teaching Tom to like ice-creams and we got there.  Looks like he has forgotten as he showed no interest at all - having the odd lick of ours, but really not wanting one (oh well guess it saves our £s in the summer!)

By about 3pm Tom was beginning to flag (no surprise) so we headed home.  He was asleep in minutes and stayed asleep for a good hour.  A fabulous, magical day out - Powys Castle really is one of our most favourite places and certainly we have some of our most cherished memories from there.

Oh the video, Tom was having such a good time, I thought I would record it, but we didn't have the video camera, so I used my camera - not great resolution I'm afraid, also the battery ran out as I took it - so it's not as good as it could have been.

Ill boys

Eye on the ball

Well I have got behind haven't I?  My excuse - lots of birthday parties, both boys being ill and trying to restyle the house ready to be put back on the market.

Party season is now drawing to a close, last one is tomorrow, Tom is well again and Matt is on the mend (it takes him much longer to get over things than Tom).  The house is (I think) almost unrecognisable - the lounge and the downstairs bedroom have had a huge makeover, most of the pictures are in new frames, the whole place has had a spring clean, there have been numerous trips to the tip, and many many things have been given away.  There is definitely less clutter and after a 8 hour cleaning marathon on Monday, I am determined to keep it clean and clutter free, cleaning and clearing as I go rather than let it build up.  We will see how long the 'new Nik' lasts!

Anyway, as I said, both boys have been ill.  This started with Tom two weeks ago.  He was invited to a make your own pizza party at Pizza Hut.  When he woke up he wasn't himself (got into bed with us in the morning, snuggled down and didn't want to do books or lark around as he usually does).  He ate his breakfast but was a little subdued.  We took him to the party, he was OK to start with, then got grumpy and then started to cry and couldn't stop.  He had a fever so we made our excuses and left early.  Tom was asleep before we left the car park.  He then slept for about 3 hours (good for us as we got loads done with house)  He perked up a little in the afternoon, ate his dinner and then went to bed after a shot of Calpol.

Fangs

Sunday we could tell he wasn't well as his eyes didn't look good.  Once again he didn't play in the morning and just got into bed and snuggled up with us.  He ate breakfast, had a shot of Calpol and then we suggested a trip to Cosford which cheered him up.  Away we went and even though he wasn't well, he had a good time, especially in the 'fun n flight' area where his favourite airplane cargo dropping exhibit was working.  We then went to Codsall Station for a fish finger sandwich which he managed, and then he fell asleep on the drive home and slept for another 3 hours.  He then managed a roast dinner in the evening before going to bed.

Monday he looked much better, so we did our usual routine - playgroup and Asda.  I did get a nap out of him though which of course was great for me.

Tuesday he woke up with 'ill eyes' again.  I asked him if he wanted to go to nursery and he said yes, so I took him along and told them to give me a call if he went down hill.  He stayed the course, but slept for 2 hours on getting home.  Same happened on Wednesday.

Thursday he had turned a corner, woke up with clear eyes and was a looney in the morning - hurray.  We went to Jungleland as usual and he did really well, his confidence has really grown since the two party weekend and I found I was actually able to talk to some of the mums rather than spending all my time with a clingy boy - hurray (again)!

Friday we went to gymnastics as usual and then a quick trip to Ikea for meatballs and to spend even more money (sigh)! Then to piggies playbarn to meet up with Daisy and Simon for a good play.  Tom stayed the course so was obviously much better.

John Deere (after his tantrum!)

Matt in the meantime was rapidly going downhill.  He now had the ill eyes and really wasn't looking good at all.  We had planned to meet up with Jude in Oswestry on Saturday, so Tom and I went, leaving Matt behind.  We met up at Gillham's - home of Matt's favourite sausage rolls but where they also do lots of other lovely food (stilton, caramelised onion and mushroom panini - which was very VERY good) and cheese on toast for the boy (which he wouldn't eat).  Actually Tom didn't have a very good day at all - he was grumpy and disobedient for most of it which wasn't great.  On the way back we popped into Attingham Park for a run around.  They had some new toy John Deere tractor ride on toys which Tom took to immediately.  Unfortunately, other children were playing with them so I got a full on tantrum (fun, fun, fun!)  When one finally became free we discovered that his legs were too short and not powerful enough to ride it properly - not great because he stubbornly refused to accept that he couldn't ride it properly and instead dragged it around the courtyard.  Eventually he saw that I was speaking sense and opted for a smaller version which he played on for a while.  We then went to the playground and then went home to a puffy eyed Daddy.  Macaroni cheese was requested (comfort food) proving that Matt wasn't well - good for all of us though as we all LOVE macaroni cheese.

Sunday we had another grumpy day.  Matt was grumpy as he was still ill, and Tom was grumpy because he wasn't 100% either.  We took Tom's bike and he loved it to start with but suddenly he got tired and he cried and cried.  This made Matt even grumpier - not a good combination so we came home asap had lunch, Tom had a nap and Matt a lie down.  The afternoon was a little better - the boys made peace with each other and played quite nicely (phew!)

The rest of the week was pretty normal apart from Matt being ill (he's still not right now, although much better!)  Monday Tom went into nursery for a whole day so I could attack the house - as usual time flew and although I gave it my best shot I didn't get it finished - it is amazing how much dirt you can find when you are looking for it.  Tom came back full of energy and full of attitude (is this what happens when they are away for the whole day - not good for April onwards when he gets his funding).  In fact he was really hard to handle for the whole week - I got more tantrums and grumpiness  this week than I have ever got before - found him very hard work - including a full screaming, punching & kicking tantrum in Asda - I had to put him under my arm and leave, take him home and send him to his bedroom and deny him his favourite DVD and train clips for the rest of the day.  Oh hum, he was slightly better on Thursday and Friday - but he had mini tantrums both those days.

Well done Tom

Saturday - we had a very good day - best day of the week.  We took him for a haircut in the morning - he had to wait an hour for his turn and then trotted over to the chair, sat on the booster attachment suffered having his hair sprayed with water and sat still whilst Mick cut it.  I wouldn't say he enjoyed it, but he did really well, moved his head when needed and was polite.  Matt and I were really really proud (and it means that I am now surplus to requirements - a trip to the barbers will now be a boys' outing)  We then went into Wellington for lunch, did some shopping (only place where I can get a good selection of cake ribbons) and then some shopping for the house (big bargain - got some bedside tables reduced from £40 to £12.50).  Tom fell asleep in the car on the way home so we put him to bed, carried on with the house (will it ever end) then an afternoon playing with trains followed by lamb chops (another bargain from Wellington) and bed.

Tired

I may be 3 but I still need a nap some days!

Monday we went to Piggies Playbarn to meet up with some friends - Tom's new found confidence paid off and he went off without needing me to interact with him - fab!  I was hoping I would get a sleep out of Tom on our way back and yes I did - isn't this picture so cute?

Party Party Party

This weekend was a very busy weekend.  We had actually been invited to 3 parties - Matt managed all 3 (using his motorbike to zoom to one) whilst Tom and I managed 2.

Birthday girl blowing out the candles on her Miffy Cake

Saturday was the 3rd birthday of Mae - I was on cake duty: a big cake for Mae, another one for Lucy and cupcakes. All got a bit frantic at the end as Rachel's mum wanted to make the cakes but then got ill and I had another 3 , but it all got done in the end.

So the party was good - all very beautifully presented as you would expect from Rachel - the most beautiful tiny cakes made by the grandparents - and plenty of pastels adorning the room.  Most important of all though was a bouncy castle.  Tom didn't go for it initally, then would only go on it holding on to me, but luckily Sammie and Sophie were there.  Sammie managed to get Tom on to it and then as long as I hid from him he was happy as Larry and spent the day bouncing away.

Tom and Mae - what a beautiful couple

In fact he really got his confidence up which meant I was free to do as I wished.  Sammie pointed out to me that I could drink seeing as she had picked us up, so drink I did: 3 whole glasses of red wine - absolute bliss and because there was loads of party food I didn't have any bad effects - fabulous - it felt really good believe you me and by far the most I have drunk since conceiving Tom!

Sunday was Jessica's party.  Another bouncy castle and this time no looking back - he was straight on it - although if bigger children got on or there were too many children on it he would get off - not a bad strategy and once again we managed no tears, even though he got squashed a couple of times - a sure sign he is getting braver.

Tom with his balloon sword

Tom spent most of this party with Mae - he was absolutely delighted to see her and ran straight up to her to give her a huge hug and kiss.  At one stage they were running round the hall holding hands and lots of hugs and kisses were going on - so so sweet and for the first time Phil could see it all he was suitably charmed although there was talk of shot guns (he has a licence as does one of the other NCT Dads).

Tom was so confident doing his own thing that at one stage I felt like a spare part and began to think that maybe I should try to socialise with some of the adults - a very strange feeling - I am so used to having a clingy child with me.

So, another plate of party food, more bouncing, more cake and then goodbyes.  Tom was asleep in minutes on the way home - well deserved he certainly played hard.

Next weekend we should be going to 2 more parties but they clash so it will just be the one, then one more and party season will be over for a while and we will have to entertain Tom by ourselves at the weekend!

Oh and on Sunday night Tom informed us that Mae is his best friend - didn't even know he knew that expression!

Oh and last week Tom officially started pre-school and LOVED it - which is amazing seeing as he is small and timid.  He was so proud, happy and excited to be in the big room - it really is a joy to see.  So nice not to have to go through grief with him, so I am proud, happy and excited too.  Tell you what though - it is sooooo noisy in there and some of the kids are quite big.  Somehow he has managed to get a couple of older children to look after him - so I think he should be fine.

Zoo!

On Saturday we met up with Grannie, Grandpa and Auntie Jude at Chester Zoo.  We were incredibly fortunate as 1) it didn't rain and 2) ALL the animals came out to play.

Tom did really well considering he had all his close family to hand and didn't seem at all overwhelmed, in fact he spread his love really well, sharing his time quite equally between everyone, apart from wanting to go to the loo every 20 minutes and getting tired towards the end of our time there, he was really well behaved.

First stop was the elephants - including some little dumbos - they were fed inside and then plodded outside for us.  Next stop was the giraffes - my favourite, it was too cold for these to be outside, we found them munching away in their house - there was a baby there, but already quite tall.  

Next stop was the reptile house and then the jaguars.  Both jaguars were out and about playing.   One on top of a tree stump and the other prowling - Tom was engrossed with the 'cat' so we stayed a while watching them.

Tiger family - Chester Zoo

We then stopped for lunch - paninis and cakes all round - Tom did best of all as he had a bit of everyone's sandwiches - and ate everything without any bother: he was sitting next to Grannie and Grandpa so was on his best behaviour. I was sat next to him but was told in no uncertain terms that I had to vacate so Grandpa could sit next to him - I know my place!

Once suitably refreshed we headed to the Orang utans who were out playing and swinging - including some babies - they were very entertaining. 

Sleepy cub

We then found our way to the tigers and believe it or not the two tiger cubs were out right in front of the viewing platform - we couldn't believe our luck.  They were sooooooooo cute - the two cubs were playing with each other, one got pushed off the platform and became a bundle of fur on the ground.  We spent quite a while watching them, then Tom saw the monorail and decided he had to go on it - so the two grandfathers were sent with him and the rest of us walked.

We went to the monkey house - where Tom learned to 'oo - oo - oo - oo' and swing his arms like a monkey (thanks for the lesson Auntie Jude).  By this time he was getting grumpy and we decided to make it a day - we had had such luck with everything we had seen, thought it better to leave whilst we were ahead.

Little & Large

We then drove to Auntie Jude's house - Tom fell asleep (even though he was in the front seat) and we managed to successfully transfer him to her bed, however, he turned over and bumped his head on her windowsill so that was that.  We decided that a bit of cake would cheer him up so I got it out, planted 3 candles in it and we all sang happy birthday to him.  It was a test, if he didn't recognise it, no more cakes would come to him.  He passed the test: 'Doctor Yellow!', 'Cake!'. Once he had consumed a slice he perked up and was ready to open yet more presents.  This he did with suitable panache - a lot of train bits and pieces from Grannie and Grandpa - including a signal box, engine shed and tunnel, all of which were very well received.  He got another Driver Ted DVD from Auntie Jude which I'm looking forward to showing him.

Doctor Yellow Cake
(Japanese Bullet Train for those wondering!)

We then had a mad display with his duck which he waved manically in the air and then threw in a random direction.  It was hilariously funny - Grannie was almost crying with laughter at one stage.  Once a reed diffuser had almost got knocked over, we called it a day and said our goodbyes.  Then home, stew, bath and bed.

A really good day and once again we were all shattered at the end.  

Thanks to everyone for Tom's pressies - all have been well received, we are all looking forward to playing with them.

I'm 3!

Rrrrip - the paper flew off

Can't quite believe it but Tom turned 3 on Friday.  Time really is speeding up now.  Everyone keeps telling me that before I know it he'll be at school which will open up a whole new era - guess I need to enjoy every moment now - especially as with his talking he so much fun.

We spent this week explaining to him that it was his birthday and that although he was 2.5 now he would be 3 on Friday because it was his birthday.  His first words on Friday were 'it's my birthday' and 'I'm 3', so I think it sunk in :0)

In my froggie tent

We allowed him to open 2 pressies before breakfast - one from Matt - a Totoro and one from me - a scribbler.  Guess what: the Totoro was favourite by some way!  He fell in instant love, definitely a new best friend.  He went down to see Granma and Pop Pop in bed had a play, came back and then we all got up for breakfast.

Present unwrapping took quite a while - as was the case at Christmas, he wanted to play with everything as he unwrapped it, but we managed to convince him to move on, and when he was concentrating he was pretty good.  His favourite present remained the Totoro, and his second favourite was a froggie tent his Granma and Pop Pop bought him - in fact he went quite loopy with the two things as can be seen in the video.

Unwrapping pressies

As the weather wasn't being good to us and ice and snow were still on the ground as well as it being pretty cold we decided that the best birthday treat would be to take him on the train to Codsall for a pub lunch and back again.  This we did and he enjoyed it as predicted.  He sat really still on the outward journey on the train, watching everything and commenting on everything he could see out the window.  We had a small lunch at the pub - bacon baps for grandparents and Matt, a cheese bap for me and a cheese sandwich for Tom.  I ordered a sandwich rather than a bap for Tom as I thought it would be smaller - how wrong I was - he ended up with the biggest lunch of us all - a doorstep of a sandwich with a wedge of mature cheese in it.  Anyway he enjoyed it especially as we ordered him some curly fries as well.

Testing out my pirate sleeping bag

The train was a bit fuller on the way back, and Tom more of a fidget - a sign he was getting tired (well he was over excited in the morning) so when we got back he went to bed and straight to sleep.  In the afternoon Rachel, Mae and Lucy came round to say happy birthday to Tom which was lovely.  Tom and Mae played together really well and Lucy was adorable as always.

They left at 5, the Gouges then came round with a pressie for Tom, we then shot out to Shifnal Cottage - what else could we eat on Tom's birthday other than curry!  As is usually the case Tom ate up, and was made a fuss of by Abdul who gave him huge amounts of chocolate and a free ice-cream.  He certainly enjoyed his birthday to the max and went to bed unbathed but happy.

The adults then crashed out on the sofa with whiskys in hand.

Snow

Winter finally arrived in Shropshire this weekend, Saturday saw a big snow storm including freezing cold wind.  All very exciting unless you have a toddler who doesn't like the wind whom you have to transport on foot from a party back home as his Daddy has got the car for the day!  It doesn't happen very often that we need 2 cars but this Saturday was one of those.

Tom & Mummy in Granville Nature Reserve

Originally we were all going to go on the West Midlands Translator's walk, but it dawned freezing cold and I really didn't think it would be a good idea to take Tom with us - he hates the cold and there was a biting wind.  So Tom and I went to Seren's party instead.  It wasn't far away - in Muxton, but we had the conundrum of how to get Tom home.  First idea was bike - but the wind was too bad, then pram - got the pram out of the shed, tyres were flat, borrowed a pump from the neighbours, the tyres burst! Only option left to us was the rucksack carrier.  So after the party (not a great success, Tom went into clingy, shy mode and wouldn't play - although he did win the pass the parcel - a fantastic Thomas play set) I wrapped him up as a Michelin man and walked back home through the snow and wind.  He was obviously very content as I could hear him snoring in my ear!  I did get some strange looks from motorists and other pedestrians though!  Matt had a very cold, snowy walk and took quite a while to get home.

Tom in his 'Babbie Tom' suit & sunglasses

As there were a couple of inches of snow on the ground on Sunday we got the sledge out to have some fun.  Well. Mummy and Daddy had fun, Tom decided that it wasn't fun to slide on the sledge and would only sit on it if we pulled it at walking pace (humpfh - he doesn't know how to have fun sometimes!)  I did a couple of runs and ended up under a tree at one point!  Dad did the same.  We managed to get Tom to go a couple of times, but it was under duress and he didn't really enjoy it.  We decided to go to The Club for lunch so drove to the Granville car park and had Tom on a sledge going slow all the way to the club which was just about acceptable. 

Toilet Training Success

A momentous day in the life of Tom.  Today for the first time he pooed in the toilet.  This has been a LONG time coming.  I think I was more excited than him when it happened.

We have put together a reward chart for him and promised him a play on the Severn Valley Railway if he poos in the toilet 5 times.  Fingers crossed the bribe works...

Weekend in Chester

This weekend we toddled off to Chester to meet up with Lisa, Cameron and the girls.  Tamsin who is 5 has a soft spot for Tom and so does he for her, which means that after the compulsory 30 initial 30 minutes shyness they played together really well and Matt and I relaxed, very nice.

Picking my nose is more interesting than the story Tamsin.

All girls were doing well, especially Jenny who has developed loads since we last saw her in October, she is talking now - she's 10 months younger than Tom and you can really see the difference.  It's hard to imagine him 10 months younger now - Jenny is still (just) a baby whilst Tom is a small person.

We didn't really do that much, but relax and what the children play.  Tom was asked if he wanted to sleep with the girls and he said he did.  So, he had his first sleep over, in a sleeping bag on an air mattress with Tamsin.  Tamsin even read to him so we weren't needed at all.  I didn't think it would last long, but after a lot of excitement and play, they both fell asleep on the mattress.  Unfortunately at 10pm Tom woke up crying (the air mattress had deflated) so he ended up in the travel cot, but he did way better than I thought!

The next morning, he decided that he would play on Jenny's scooter and dive off it everytime  he got into the lounge.  We think he will make a good footballer!  Anyway, after a leisurely breakfast, we said our goodbyes and came home.  A good time was had by all.

Oh development news - Tom has dropped his naps - argggggggggh - 3 months too early!  It wasn't even gradual, he suddenly decided that he didn't want to sleep in the afternoon anymore and gets really upset if he thinks I'm going to take him upstairs to bed.  So I'm having an interesting time doing my cakes as I have lost 10 hours a week creative time.  Won't be a problem in April as then he'll get extra time at nursery, but until then I think I'm going to have to do some evening work.  Oh hum.

Weekend with my cousins

This weekend Matt was in York, so I took the opportunity to take Tom down to Aylesbury to see his cousins as it has been quite a while since they've been together.

It was an absolutely glorious weekend and we had a nice and easy journey down.  Tom stayed awake for the whole journey, but was as good as gold amusing himself and even letting me sing to my music (normally he shouts "Mummy stop!" when I sing along)  First stop was Thame, S&C had got me a token for the cake shop there for my birthday last year which I hadn't yet used, so as we were in the area I thought I would use it (saves paying p&p).  Simon was right it is a weird shop, and you have to be in the know, as the shop was very small but with a huge store room.  Pretty much everything I wanted was out back, but they did have everything I wanted.

Jake and Tom on top of the hill

We then jumped back into the car and headed to Aylesbury, arriving dead on 12.  Amber was napping upstairs, but the others were all there and happy.  Tom and Jake took a little while to get rid of their shyness, then Tom took a while to relax as Jake was pretty full on, and Tom doesn't like having his personal space invaded, he got there in the end though which was good.

We had lunch, waited for Amber to wake up and then headed out to a nearby hill to give everyone some fresh air and a chance to enjoy the good weather.  I got out Tom's bike as him going on a bike is much quicker than him walking.  Unfortunately it was mega muddy - at one stage I think his bike was double its normal weight.  Anyway, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, we got the fresh air and exercise that everyone needed.

When we got home, it was playtime - Jake, Tom and Amber played run round in circles around the ground floor for a good while (until they were hot and sweaty)  then they had their dinner (Mum and Dad are right, Amber is a eating machine - blink and you miss it - food doesn't last long around her).  They then had a bath together (Jake got a jug of water and poured it over Tom which spoilt the mood for a while - that whole personal space issue again!) Amber was quite happy though - she really is a placid, happy little thing.

The Bath Photo (before it all went wrong!)

All went to bed without a problem - Amber generously handed over her cot to Tom and she slept in S&C's room in the travel cot.  Tom made himself at home - we didn't hear a peep out of him all night, which is amazing seeing as Amber did some good screaming at various intervals during the night - believe me she can make herself heard, although she is teething - it looks like her back molars are coming through which can't be fun.  We then had dinner and one of Colin's bottles of wine - very nice it was too.

In the morning we got up, had breakfast and then headed out to the local Leisure Pool for a swim.  What an amazing facility,  3 little pools all geared towards the under 5s, with jacuzzis, shallow water, lots of seats, 2 slides linking two of the pools, a current pool (deeper with a current going round an island meaning you don't have to swim very hard - just float and let the current take  you) and another very shallow pool with 2 mini slides, a boat with levers, a dolphin and some other playthings.  Absolutely brilliant and really not that expensive.  However, it was full and noisy and Tom didn't exactly take to it.  He pretty much clung to me and grizzled the whole time we were there (well until the last 5 minutes when he finally let go of me and had a good on the smallest slide without too much encouragement).  Simon tried to take him away from me to see if that would help - it didn't!  Amber and Jake however had a fab time.  We certainly don't have anything like that in Shropshire, I wonder if there is somewhere in Wolverhampton similar?  I am determined to get Tom to enjoy swimming...

We returned to S&C's - playtime for the boys, sleep for Amber whilst S&C cooked a 2 joint roast - yummy.  Jake and Tom played really nicely with each other - even managed to share playing with the loop the loop car.  We all sat down for roast dinner together which was fab.  Amber ate hers without any encouragement, the boys also did well, but needed some words.

By now it was 3pm, so Tom and I said our goodbyes.  Tom ran upstairs and hid in Jake's bed shouting 'no home', 'no home' and Jake told me that Tom was going to live with them now.  All very sweet, but I had to break the spell.  Tom wasn't too upset as he was deeply asleep within minutes and stayed that way until Matt called me in the car an hour later (a very long story, but he had got a lift home from Shrewsbury with a friend and his family.  His car then died, the RAC had to be called out - they were stuck at ours for about 3 hours - with a 1 year old and a 4 year old) - so Tom came home to a full house - but he was good and played mad games with the 4 year old until they left.  He went to bed without a bath - we didn't hear a sound from him.

Anyway a good time was had by all.  It was good to spend longer than 3 hours with the cousins.  I even got a kiss off Jake, and he called me Auntie Nik, which he hasn't done before, felt very weird.  I'm hoping they will allow us to return the favour and come up to stay with us sometime soon - maybe for a trip to Thomasland.

Oh Tom is developing lots a the moment, I'll try to expand in another blog post sometime soon.

Fast Tom

Puff Trains

Not paying attention (as usual)

Mummy had a cake to make today, so the rest of us headed down to Bridgnorth after breakfast for a day playing on the Severn Valley Railway - I don't think Grandpa needed his arm twisting very hard. We caught the first train south all the way to Kidderminster, and had a coach almost to ourselves - handy, as His Nibs was in full-on fidget mode and wouldn't sit on any given seat for more than about 10 seconds at a time. Having said that, he seemed to enjoy looking out of the window and impressing his grandparents with his ever-growing vocabulary. I think "river" was a new word for the day, which was hardly surprising as you can see for pretty much the whole journey.
As soon as we disembarked at Kidderminster, Tom legged round the end of the platform to where he remembered there was a miniature railway - he was spot on, and it was running, so he took Grandpa for a quick spin. We then had a quick look round the railway shop, with Tom seriously interested in some beautiful-looking model locomotives in a glass case. However, they were upwards of £100 each, and we don't have a train set, so they remained in the case.
We then caught the next northbound train, which was absolutely jam-packed - we could hardly find seats together. This meant that Tom didn't have as many wriggling opportunities as on the way down, and he sat quite nicely, mostly on Grandpa.

Beating up Grannie

We had lunch in the Engine Shed cafe at Highley - baguettes for the grown-ups and fish fingers & chips for the lad. It was all quite nice, but none of us could finish up. We then dispersed throughout the museum; Tom & me to the wooden train set, Grandpa wandering round the steam engines and Grannie buying jigsaws in the shop. I took Tom outside to watch a southbound train go past, but it peeped very loudly just as it went past us. Cue a few (but only a few) tears from Tom, so I guess us repeatedly telling him that when trains say TOOT!, they mean HELLO! has at least partly worked.
We the caught the train back to Bridgnorth, in a compartment of our own where he was changed from pants to nappy as he was looking very tired. Sure enough, he was asleep almost as soon as we left the car park.
Dinner was a curry for five at Abdul's, which we all enjoyed. Tom didn't eat his own weight in curry, rice, naan & poppadums (as he generally does), but he did enough to impress his grandparents with his culinary range.