Unconditional love

I actually can't believe how mature cheeky is. This probably sounds a bit strange as he is still a baby. Mama was upset last night (long story) he must have heard me and woke up, so i went into his room to settle him, but to my surprise he came rushing over gave me a big kiss and put my head on his shoulder, rubbed my back and said shhhh shhhh! I was so overwhelmed, i felt guilty that he was comforting me but wow i felt sooooo much better. I generally hide my emotions in front of cheeky, i don't like to be upset in front of him, so last night was very much a one off but this does show just how much they take in without you realising. Cheeky you are my little superstar. As lovely as it was to be comforted i shall in future continue to hide my emotion (unless it is happy of course) in front of cheeky x

The sun has got his hat on!

The weather is glorious here! We have had a really lovely day. Cheeky and i went to a friends, the cheeky's played in the garden and the mama's chatted with little baby E cooing at us. The cheeky's got too hot after a while though and started to get a bit whiny so we took them inside to play. There really is something amazing about the sun that makes you in a super mood.... do you feel the benefit of vitamin D instantly?  After visiting friends we went to see Auntie J and cheeky A, Mamar was there when we arrived, planting in Auntie J's garden. Cheeky went crazy when he saw them, hiya he shouted soooooo excitedly waving and smiling. Cheeky and Cheeky A love each other soooo much, and well they both love Mamar. So i took a very excited cheeky out of the car and into the house. Cheeky and cheeky A played a while whilst Mamar and Auntie J planted and i just kind of hovered between them and the cheeky's (i have never been very good at planting) After a while they moved into the back where Mamar got the hose pipe out to water the hanging baskets, she squirted cheeky just a little.... well that was it... he absolutely loved it, and was shrieking with joy wanted more, Auntie J continued this squirting him a little and he was dancing around in the water laughing. Cheeky A was squirted too but he wasn't quite as keen as cheeky. I kept thinking, i should get the camera, but i didn't want to miss watching cheeky have so much fun. Eventually i did pop out to the car to get the camera and got a few good pictures. Sadly it ended in tears though as cheeky didn't want it to stop, but he soon calmed down and we came home, where he snuggled down to sleep at 6pm, a whole hour early. All in all a great day, who knows why i feel so crappy now though :( x

Teach or baby proof?

Many friends of mine with children have their homes super super baby proof... baby gates on every door, and at both the top and bottom of the stairs, locks on the fridge, oven, cupboards, drawers. The list goes on. With cheeky however i have chosen not to baby proof the house, but instead teach him the dangers, and teach him that certain things are not allowed. This has worked for cheeky and i, he has been able to climb up and down the stairs since about 11 months, i wanted to make sure he had the ability to do so, i think this decreases the danger of falling down, however i was always in front or behind him. Until quite recently he knew that he wasn't to use the stairs unless mama was with him, it only posed a problem when friends came to play. Now however i allow him to use the stairs, and play upstairs in his bedroom, most of his toys are now in his bedroom... he is a confident stair user. I have also taught him the dangers of things in the home. He frequently reminds me that my cup of tea is hot, the radiators are hot, the oven is hot and dangerous, that it is naughty to open the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen. Obviously sometimes i do have to remind him, but he fully understands and confirms that he knows why. He he cheeky always frequently lets me know that the toilet is dirty, especially if mama is using the the toilet, he says bleuh dirty, bleuh bleuh, ha ha such a character. It would be interesting to know how other parents approach the dangers in the home... i think making your home too baby proof, actually puts them in danger out of the home... x

Vitamins!

A post for those of you in the UK! Vitamins for your 0-5 year olds are available from your clinic or surestart centre for just £1.70, free for those who receive healthy start! I only just discovered this! Would have been good to know sooner, having spent a fortune on vitamins! x

What's been going on!

As i am writing, thinking last week, last week... hmmm how long ago was that?? Erm.... nappy brain last week seems to have left my memory... thinks a little.... a lot... ahhh yes got it!! (geek) hehe

So i have been looking to move house and honestly it has been a pain, we rent currently and it seems you have to be super quick! Anyway after months of searching, and applying, and losing out to somebody quicker, last week i decided to stop looking and stay put. With this decision i decided it was time to make our house a home. So last week goodies were bought for our HOME!  Very exciting, it is probably the first time i have ever put my very own personal stamp on a place, and it feels good. 

Also last week, we spent some nice afternoons with friends, both locally and afar, we missed playgroups :(  mama had a bit of an off day, where i felt a bit poorly, really poorly actually. I feel like i took a step in a good direction last week! I also realised i really need to start saving money. As the week went on Cheeky's behaviour went from pretty awful to pretty damn amazing. On Friday, i was especially proud, a long car journey meeting with a friend and baby, and lunch in a restaurant, zero tantrums and wow what a sweetheart, i was BEAMING! All in all a pretty good week! 

:) xx

Household appliances!

Another whiny post i am afraid!! Why do electrical appliances never all work at the same time... Is this just me?? Maybe. I always seem to have something that is missing, or broken. Currently it is my washing machine, making a strange banging/clattering noise when it is on.... grrrrr. Recently though we have had problems with the fridge, the boiler, the television, the Wii, the list is endless, and there is always something that doesn't work. This makes for a stressful existence... count to 10, deep breaths, ha ha x

Bin day!

So it is bin day, i know this is a super boring thing to write about but i can't stand bin day. For one , nine times out of ten it will rain the night before so you get soaked!! But mainly because it is just disgusting, where we are i have to pull the bins through the house, so it really is a chore, first putting the bins out and then scrubbing my hands, bleaching both the front and back gardens, then the house, and finally clothes in the washer and a hot shower! I have to do all these things otherwise i just squirm all day feeling unclean and like there are bugs in the house. On a good note, i think one good thing about bin day is you feel kind of clear, clear house clear mind sort of feeling! I know bin day is UN avoidable but it absolutely should be made easier, more practical, and less disgusting. I have decided however from now on that i am going to try and reduce my rubbish, i already recycle, like most, but i am going to opt for the least packaging when shopping, where possible of course, and i think i will also clean my garden daily! :)

Sleep!!

I am interested to know how other children's nap times have altered. Cheeky has always had a morning nap, up until about lunchtime, when he was younger he took an afternoon nap as well. Recently i have noticed his is resisting his morning nap, i am unsure what to do, do i just go with it, is it a phase, do i plan a later nap..... if i miss his napping window he really is grumpy, it makes for a terrible day. Currently i am just doing things as always, but he has started to cry when i close the door, and it takes him about 40 minutes to go off to sleep. Well i guess i will just have to go with trial and error, i think tomorrow i will just follow his lead, if i miss the window at least i will know for the next day! x

Messy mealtimes!

So cheeky is desperate to feed himself, and he does.... it is just a very messy affair. He have one of those bibs that covers his whole top and arms, but somehow it ends up and his bottom half too!! It is really amazing to watch him be so independent and make such an effort, and most foods are easy to clean off, the main problem is breakfast, he loves fruit toast which is great and he will have that most mornings but i also like to try and give him weetabix or cereal, its here that we have the most problems, with every mouthful the milk goes everywhere, i find i am just walking around him cleaning up milk off his seat and the floor throughout breakfast! .....and what is it about weetabix, does this stuff breed, i find it everywhere and it doesn't come off. Mama tries to help cheeky at mealtimes, to get more in his mouth and less on his clothes, but that won't do, cheeky wants to do it all by him self..... ah well its all fun and games :) x

Eating at the table!!

So since cheeky was out of a high chair we have had some difficulty with mealtime. We didn't have a dining table so i bought cheeky a little child's table, which he was very impressed with. He very quickly adapted to sitting at his own little table at mealtimes... with the odd tumble off his chair of course, and attempting to sit on the table and not the chair, pretty standard stuff i think. So all was going well, we would generally have breakfast together, Cheeky at his table and mama just sat close on the sofa. I would give cheeky his tea at about 5 am and i would eat once he had gone to bed. It was much easier this way. Whilst this worked at home, when it came to taking cheeky out to eat or just to sit and have a drink somewhere, it was awful, he would not sit still. A friend and i took our boys out to eat pizza, my friends little boy, being a full year older sat perfectly and ate and was as good as gold, but cheeky, goodness me he was all over the place, jumping on the seats running off, spitting food out, climbing over the chairs, it was a bad experience, i promised myself i would address this issue. It took me a while to figure out what to do however. After trial an error i eventually bought a dining table and chairs for home. We now eat together at every mealtime, eating is a real occasion and cheeky loves it, in fact mama loves it too. He knows that once i start to set the table its time to have a meal and he says "sit down" and gets on his chair. He now has his very own knives and forks. The difference is unbelievable. He now feeds himself ( a bit messy but hey) eats better and stays at the table, since introducing the table we have only had one incident whilst out where he screamed and tipped food on the floor, but he was exhausted... on the whole though introducing mealtimes at the table has been a very positive for both mama and cheeky! :)

Here we go again!

Hi there everyone!!! 

So i have decided to start my blog again. All previous posts have been deleted. I didn't blog for a while so when i returned to my blog i decided to have a fresh start!! 

So i am a mummy of one. My adorable toddler/devil child ;0). Whom i will refer to as 'cheeky' as it sums him up perfectly, is 1 year old and 2 is approaching us very quickly. He is a really super boy, he is extremely intelligent yet this intelligence often turns into frustration when he can't quite figure out how to do something he desperately wants to...... it can be a total nightmare when this happens, throwing himself on the floor, screaming stamping his feet, throwing toys, even household items..... nobody could have forewarned me enough about tantrums hehe, all fun and games though!

So being a mummy is a huge challenge, as i am sure many would agree, but wow what a blessing and an amazing experience i am having bringing up cheeky! x