Oh it has been too long since I have had a moment to give a proper life update.  I keep thinking of the phrase ‘I’ve been too busy living life,” and well I kind of have.   There’s been eurvision party night fundraiser taking over every inch of my spare time, it’s done now and we rasied some much needed funds but I’ve still not recovered!  And then to celebrate the new found mind space my laptop charger decided to unexpectendly conk out leaving me technolgy free for a few days.

However, in the midst of the chaos I finally committed to a new camera, the Canon 700D and I am smitten.  Ther’s a little photography competition in our village in a few weeks time and we’ve even had a photography training session to get us in the mood.  Here’s a few photos I took during the afternoon where I learnt about aperture, shutter speed and depth of field.   Here you can really see how you can change the focus of a picture depending on the settings.  There was me thinking I was a pro just for focusing myself, turns out all those dials to a lot more than I even realised.  We even did some panning shots as the cars went down the road but I’ve not quite perfected that just yet!

For the bank holiday weekend we went for an adventure up to the top of cleeve common.   It’s the first time we’ve really let you roam free when we’re out and about.  You walked the whole way from the car park to the viewing point, a good 25minute walk up and down woulds.  We saw sheep (and golfers) roaming free and sat and had a picnic made from the last remaining remnants of the fridge.  We snacked on ham sandwiches, home made hummus and then delicious cupcakes.  You stared amazed at the sheep roaming wildly and when we called you back you turned to us and said your first ‘WHY?’  Adventuring out and about is exctly the kind of things I want us all to do more of but then get cold feet about.  But the amazing thing about nature is that you can be free to run and shout and jump and climb, there are no time limits and no tickets required.  It’s the perfect place for you, time passed without us noticing and 2 hours later we returned home, thoroughly exhausted but wonderfully happy.

You are as ever at the heart of our family, coming along for our adevntures and taking in everything you see with those extra big eyes.   You are making your presence known, you’re grabbing on to everything in sight, with increasing speed, strength and accuracy.  This week, as I began to make a cup of tea you managed to take hold of the milk bottle and tip it over, pools of milk washing over the floor.  If I sit you in the bumbo as I cook you’ll be stealing all the utnesils from the jar, and have taken a fancy to a sandwich bag full of scraps of paper.  Your bed time routine is beginning to kick in, tucked up in your growbags at night for the first time you sleep peacefully in your cot until 11 when you wake for your milk.

This week your imaginative play has exploded, I think it’s a combination of starting pre school and hitting two.  I mentioned to your Nanny that you were loving pretending to be a Doctor with your lunch box and as luck would have it, she had just bought you your very own set.  Here you are, Dr Nye, administering an injection in your dogs ear.  You like to check our temperature and dole out medicine and you are starting to look so grown up with the stethoscope around your neck.  To watch you using your imagination is so magical, I know the years ahead will be amazing, to see all the things you can create and explore.

You are growing bigger, there are piles of disregarded clothes towering up in your room as you outgrow them day by day.  These past few weeks we have finally got into a good routine, which has allowed me to get back into the swing of cloth nappies.  I am so relived to have so much less rubbish to put out and truth be told these nappies look unreasonably cute on you.  At 10 weeks you give us more smiles, more coo’s and look at us with two big beautiful blue eyes that are opening wider.  There’s a fluff of hair beginning to crown your little face as your cheeks fill out and your range of expressions broaden.  Your brother still likes to be with you, stroking your face and just by looking at you today I could teach him the word happy and smiling.

If this week had a word it would be loving.  You have amazed me every day showing what a kind person you are becoming.  I can see you really growing into your own skin, perhaps starting to show traits of your adult self.  All week you have cuddled and held hands with your sister at every opportunity saying “ahhhhhh” as you snuggle up to her and call her beautiful.  You are copying her noises, “goo goo” to talk to her and willingly share your favourite toy with her, especially if she is crying.

You have learnt to say sorry and the tone with which you say it makes your dad and I look at each other and melt.  You are far from perfect, and that’s fine because you are only two and still learning the rules.  But, you are thinking more about things, starting to learn to share and understand when I explain something isn’t yours without an enormous melt down.  On Friday at play group I had no arguments to settle and at the end of the session, I found you on a gym bench holding another boys hand, swinging your legs patiently waiting for story and singing time. The happiness and pride overwhelms me and I dare not do or say anything, just let you carry on being you. (Please let me hold on to this moment because no doubt this will all change and I’ll be breaking up fights next week.)

You are such a wonderfully happy baby.  You have smiles for everyone, every day. This week you love to babble, saying ah goo and giving little squeaks when we are looking and talking to you.  We had our first mummy and daughter shopping trip this week whilst Nye was at pre school.  You slept through it, which makes you an excellent shopping partner.  You are getting good at holding your head up and looking around at what is going on.  It’s quite amazing what a baby can teach you about simple pleasures, you do it beautifully.