Living Arrows 33/34/35/36
September 12, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 0 comments
The summer seems to have disappeared into the distance, somewhere between now and July, the time just evaporated. I remember when it was just beyond reach, Neil preparing to pack up his things for the end of term. The prospect of those six weeks stretching out in front of us, days and days of time that we thought would last forever. We were feeling the sense of anticipation, tempting, weeks just the four of us. Of course now, just in the blink of an eye it’s over and we are drawing ourselves back into our old routines. It was a wonderful summer, so many bright days, lots of visiting friends and family and exploring everything the Cotswolds has to offer. Here are some more of the memories we will keep.
33/52 Once we had returned from our trips to see family we visited the lovely Cotswold Country Park for the second time. I remember our last visit so clearly, it happened to be just a few days before we made an offer on our house, I have phone snaps of the brightest of blue skys. What a difference a year makes, from one child to two; two busy babies splashing in the water and running their hands through the sand. It was so beautifully sunny, a big bright and blue sky stretching out in front of us. Then, without warning there came a sudden chill in the air followed by rain, rain and more rain lashing down. We ran for cover, and found ourselves sat huddled in the boot of the car, waiting for it to pass with only some smarties to sustain us.
34/52 Lovely days at home, pottering, organising, making messes, tidying the messes and then making more mess. Cuddles and kisses on the sofa, making play dough in the kitchen and listening to ‘let it go’ on repeat. Amidst this, they still continue to grow, your very first tooth came through Evie, less than 1mm of a razor-sharp blade, just another reminder of the first year of your life slipping on by. Then there was the potty training success (after 3 failed attempts), the time was right and with a sticker chart in hand, you did it Nye. We started the first few days giving you treats after you had been on the potty 5 times, but after a few days it was just second nature to you. No need for stickers or treats, just done. Another milestone been and gone and we barely even noticed it.
35/52 The next week we had our perfect little holiday, just a few days of exploring the Isle of Wight. Adventures to some culinary gems and trips to the beach to look for shells, crabs and driftwood. Evie you took it all in from the comfort of your carrier, happy to go along for the ride, whilst you Nye enjoyed every second of exploring, running, playing and digging. You were slightly uneasy about staying in a new house at first, but still slept well every night. Over the summer you have really blossomed into a little human, we no longer have to worry about you sleeping during car journeys as you are happy to sing and chat in the car. Evie on the other hand, eludes sleep like a master, you want to be awake, crawling, interacting and prefer to sleep cuddled up in our arms, especially in the day time.
You both tried Lobster for the first time, cooked simply with pasta in our holiday house. It’s amazing to give you the tastes of you things and see how you like them. Of course we had busy days but we were able to relax too, and just before we headed to the ferry to go home we took a pit stop at the park where you were able to push Evie on the swing for the first time. It wasn’t quite as smooth as I would have liked, but to be honest, Evie loved it and just loves being a part of the games you play.
36/52 We are back at home and the start of the new term is looming over us. Autumn appears to have arrived, the nights are suddenly getting darker and there can be a bite in the air. The moon has been out, so big and bright in the sky, sometimes we can see it, morning and night and Nye, you just love it. It’s funny you’ve slept so well even when it’s light when you go to bed, but there seems to be something about it getting dark that you like. Now when it does get dark, you tell us it is bed time and head upstairs, you ask to see the moon every night and I lift you up to look out the window.
Evie you are a super speed crawler, it just suddenly happened that we can be in the living room, but before I know it you’ve chased the dog into the kitchen. you’ll head full speed for her, weaving your way under the dining table. I head off to find where on earth you’ve gone and imagine what you’ve been able to get up to in the 1 minute I took my eye off you. You amuse yourself now by picking things up and throwing them, so impressed by your own ability to let go, the sounds you can make and how far you can throw things. Another favourite activity is pulling books off shelves, I think I had forgotten this stage. And of course as soon as I tidy up you’re back at it, it’s so much fun for you.
A family wedding created lots of beautiful photo opportunities in the lovely Lincolnshire countryside. We were so proud of how well behaved you both were, which made for a relaxed weekend. (Helped enormously by the fact that you, my little 2 and a half year old fell asleep on my lap before the bride even arrived!) It was a tad windy, and your hair in this photo makes me smile.
Darling Evie, oh boy are you finding your feet and your voice and basically everything! You crawl, pull up, sit up, chatter and are even starting to throw strops. Aside from that you are happy and busy and growing into a child in front of my eyes. Those hairs on your head grow ever longer, they are strawberry blonde when they catch the light.
Those two big blue eyes are commented on every day when we go out. You are intrigued by the world, always watching, eyes wide open. Forever learning and analysing how things work and drawing us in. You are using your hands to manipulate things, shaking, grabbing and banging things together and this week I even let you lick the spoon. You are a sneaky, determined one, you want to stay up and party late into the night, especially when away from home. Thankfully we are back now and you are settling back into some sort of bed time routine.
A few days away from home gave us an opportunity to explore grandad’s farm yard, just like I did when I was your age. Throwing stones, climbing in trailers and jumping up and down just for the hell of it. Your face just lit up when you got a chance to sit in grandad’s teleporter and turn the big wheel and survey the views from on high.
We laugh daily at your theatrical nature, recounting your version of events with your eyes, words and body. I cherish our little chats, especially as you start to remember friends and family and understanding the passing of time. I told you the story of little red riding hood from my memory a few weeks ago and you often ask ‘story mummy’. The story has changed quite a lot now, but the current version involves Nye, who is bringing a buzzby cake to his grandma, the wolf steals it, Grandad says ‘shoo away wolf’, then he says sorry and has tea and cake. When not chatting, you are ‘making cakes’ in the mud outside, offering out stones and rolling out play dough. It’s safe to say you like cake!
Water plays a major part in our life, it is always such a great way of keeping you happy. You make up your own games and sing songs, making up tunes and words if you can’t quite remember them. You love to splash yourself and shock yourself with the cold water, screaming out with joy. Today you sang humpty dumpty like we do at your swimming lessons and jumped into the bucket. You so want to splash that you jump in when you sing ‘wall’ because you can’t wait for the ‘fall’. 
A blissful moment of silence in what has been an exhausting week. I barely dared to press the shutter to capture you, terrified that I would disturb you. You continue to grow up, strong, enquiring and happy (when you’re not causing havoc by refusing to settle in your cot). You are most vocal at the dinner table. When the food runs out, or others are eating without you, you crumple your nose up and inhale and exhale deeply to show your dissatisfaction with the situation. You do it so often now that Nye does impressions of you, laughing to himself saying ‘Evie talking’.
Oh my goodness Evie, you have learnt to crawl! Not necessarily with all limbs moving in a coordinated manor but who cares, you can get from A to B. Nothing can stop you from getting to where you want to be and you even managed to go backwards and wedge yourself under the sofa the other day. Of course your brother thought it was hilarious and had to copy you and he shouts ‘Evie funny’.
We all know that things grow over time, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so aware of it as this week. I was flicking through my laptop and I could see the transformation was just so striking. It’s the change and varieties in colour more than anything. Here are some of my before and after photos from January 2014 to June 2014. Have you seen any big changes in your garden tis month?
The garlic has been wonderful, such a fragrant thing to plant in the winter months and look forward to in the summer. I’ll certainly be planting some again this year and I am hoping to learn to to keep what I’ve grown for as long as possible. The bulbs themselves arent enormous which isn’t a surprise as I didn’t add anything to the soil before I planted. Once I’ve emptied the bed I’ll be adding more 
The beautiful roses are in full bloom. I can hardly believe they were woody stems just a month or so ago. I have used them for the village flower arranging compeition, to give to a friend and I have just started to make some confetti too.
And of course there are other beautiful things that have been growing, plentiful peas, sweet peas and more subtle white/pink roses and lots more to enjoy.
Greedy Evie is here to stay. You want to try everything and bend over backwards, literally, to get what you desire. You are open to new tastes and textures, everything must be sampled. I’m never quite sure how much you’ve had, but you are happy and content. I need to get you weighed to check how you’re getting on, but I suspect that the introduction of food will have helped your previous centile languishing.
Ever determined you strive to get the things that take your fancy, through a combination of reaching, rowling, shuffling and spinning around. That beautiful smile of yours gets broader but those teeth of yours are causing us some broken sleep. You had started to have a pretty standard routine of falling asleep in daddies arms around 7, sleeping in your cot at 7.30pm and then waking for a feed around 10/11. You had your first swimming lesson this week, and despite being rudely awoken and abruptly thrown into your swim suit, you took to the water with your usual big smile and flurry of kicks. It was lovely to take the time just the two of us, you are such a water baby and it is magical to see you in your element. I get the feeling I’ll be sitting by the pool side for many years to come.
Here you are stealing some beans from your brothers plate, after eating your very first meal out at a restaurant in London. People literally stopped to say hello to you, to see you sitting up in your high chair. They were amazed by you and couldn’t help but stare. You were just concentrating on making your way through chicken, cucumber and beans as if your life depended on it. I am only feeding you 4 times in the day time now and I can feel it won’t be that much longer that you will want your milk. It feels bitter-sweet to see you gaining your independence, grasping these new skills with vigour. Your daddy can’t stand to see you grow up, he wants to cuddle you all day and ensure you’re never a teenager!
As the nights aren’t so dark any more, I caught a lovely shot of you splashing in the bath. We love bath times here, lots of chatter and giggling between you and your brother. It’s an ordinary activity that we will no doubt do thousands of times before you grow big enough to just do it yourself. I can barely imagine those days right now but I know soon I will find myself there, with a little girl and no baby. Already there is talk of weaning, and suddenly I find myself feeling like I’m falling behind on the time scales. Then I look at your ever growing face and realise that it all happens naturally, you have all that learning within you.
I think it every week but you are just growing in every way, so quickly. We say something, you repeat it and then somehow you know it. You can remember it, even call on it at a later date. You have started using more connective words, ‘and’ ‘ has made its first appearance as well as your first “Aneurin”. It kind of seems crazy that it took you 2 years to know your full name. That will serve us right for giving you such an unusual one I guess, but at least you have an interesting story to tell people. You are happy, boisterous, busy and love to make us laugh. Anything you do that raises a smile you do over and over, trying to get the same reaction. Everyone says how happy you are, what a beautiful smile you have and we take it for granted. You are of course difficult in equal measure, because you never do things by halves.