Paris - Day 5

Today has been a reeeeally long day, it's currently almost midnight but feels like 1am as we're still on Paris time. We're on a very quiet train, Marmar, Daddy and Henry are all asleep but I'm staying awake watching the bags, holding Henry and trying frantically to move to save my numb bum without waking the baby. Not an easy task. The popcorn is also out of arms reach...seriously bad times.

Anyway we started this morning by packing our room, checking out and then making our way to the aquarium nearby. Henry absolutely loves fish at the moment so we thought he'd enjoy a proper aquarium visit rather than a quick dash into Pets at Home to keep him happy on a shopping trip! Needless to say he loved it, he kept pointing at the fish and shouting to get our attention and then opening and closing his mouth doing his little fishy impression. Seriously cute. 

We then had lunch in a really busy little french bistro nearby and it was delicious. We had a huge plate of cheese, ham and pâté to begin with and then I had beef bourguignon which was just divine. Afterwards we had a little wander round the shops before heading back to the hotel to get a taxi to the station. Since then it's been a blur of TGV, Eurostar and East Coast trains, sleeping baby, feeding baby, snacking mummy....you get the picture. I'm so excited about finally getting into my own bed in a couple of hours and luckily Mr B will be getting up in the morning so I can have a lie in! 

Paris - Day 4

Wow, what an amazing day! I think if Henry was old enough to talk, he'd say it was his best ever. He's currently absolutely zonked out in his cot and we are finally resting our very achy legs. It turns out it's almost impossible to get a baby to nap in such an exciting place as Disney and so he's been out like a light the last two nights.

We started off in Disney Studios this morning, the second park at Disneyland. It is much smaller than the main park, with a lot less rides, but seemingly the same number of people. This made for enormous queues that weren't at all Henry-friendly. Mr B and I went on the Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror, both of which we absolutely loved, but we didn't go on anything else. We were really looking forward to going on the new Ratatouille ride with Henry but they'd closed the Fast Track ticket machines and the main queue had a waiting time of 120 minutes! No thank you. Luckily Henry isn't old enough to be disappointed, but if he'd been older and been looking forward to it, I would have been really cross. Obviously queues are to be expected, but 2 hours?! Really? Anyway we decided to head back into the main park and we went on lots of baby friendly rides today which was lovely. Henry particularly enjoyed 'It's a small world' for the second time and a lovely little boat ride around gardens themed as fairy tales.

After a long day of walking around the parks, we headed out to Disney Village for dinner. We decided on Cafe Mickey and I'm so glad we did. One of my best memories of Disney when I was little was of the characters walking around the park and having our photos taken and our autograph books signed. We saw 1 character walking around the parks in 2 full days which was really disappointing. Luckily, unbeknown to us, the characters visit Cafe Mickey all day so Henry got to meet Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Donald Duck whilst eating his tea. I would have put money on him being shy or upset when he saw them, but he was the exact opposite, he was absolutely thrilled! We told him to give Donald Duck a little kiss, which he did, mouth wide open on Donald's beak! He then did the same on Tigger's mouth and Mickey's nose without us even telling him too. Very very cute! It really made our last meal in Disney super special and actually, the food was really tasty too. Henry certainly enjoyed his seafood linguine which he shared with my mum.

When we got back home, Mr B and I headed to the spa again while Henry had his bath, and now we're all back in the room ready for an early night in bed. We've had such a magical time in Disneyland but I'll post more about that in the next few days. Tomorrow we have a full day here before heading back so we are planning to visit the aquarium, very exciting! 

Paris - Day 3

Wow, what a busy day! Today was a busy one, our first at Disneyland. We were up and out early and got the train one stop along the line to Disney. It was almost €6 for the 4 us on the train and it was pretty chaotic and hectic at that time on a morning, especially with a buggy.  It's only €10 in a taxi from our hotel so we're just going to do that tomorrow.

We had a really fab day, plenty of time on 'big' rides for us, lots of time on smaller rides for Henry. We flew over London with Peter Pan, travelled the world in a boat, took a roller-coaster ride with Indiana Jones, were catapulted into space on Space Mountain, visited Pirates of the Caribbean on an underground boat, spun round in teacups, shot lasers at baddies with Buzz Lightyear and got lost in Alice in Wonderland's labyrinth (turns out it was even harder to find Mr B in a labyrinth than it was in the aisles if Auchan yesterday!). Overall a really lovely, but very tiring day.

We finished off our day in Planet Hollywood and I have to say, I had the best burger I've ever eaten in my life. It could have been because I was really tired and had aching legs and feet or because I was extra hungry having not eaten since lunch (snacking is a no-go at Disney's extortionate prices) but it was absolutely divine. I'd like to say I ate the whole lot but I'd be lying; unfortunately Henry chose tonight to decide that he was extra hungry too so he put a pretty good dent in my burger, chips and salad by himself.

We then came back to the hotel and while Marmar bathed Henry, Mr B and I escaped for a quick chill out in the hotel spa. There's nothing nicer than a swim, sauna and jacuzzi when you're tired and achy after a long day, it was heaven. The little one is now fast asleep in his cot, I've had a bath (complete with wine and chocolate) and I am very close to crashing out. I really hope Henry chooses tonight to sleep well, I am exhausted! We're all looking forward to Disney day 2 tomorrow.

A lot of travelling but we're finally here - Paris Days 1&2

So tonight I am blogging from a rather posh, and very comfy, hotel bed in Paris. This is in direct contrast to my usual blogging spot which is our spare room, complete with a duvet that needed washing last week, a set of drawers that are always slightly open due to a mishap when building them using the slightly dodgy Ikea instructions, and a pile of junk that has no other home.

Anyway I digress...we are finally in Paris! We caught a train to London last night and stayed in a Travelodge at King's Cross before catching the Eurostar out of St. Pancras this morning. It was a really easy journey and after checking in at lunchtime, we unpacked and had a little wander around the area. We have a very swanky little kitchenette in our room - we decided it was probably a practical and sensible idea now we have a little mouth to feed on a morning and going out for a posh brunch isn't a viable option anymore! We therefore decided to visit the local Auchan to buy a few supplies to fill said kitchenette, and had a little wander round the shops too. Mr B and my mum spied some very tasty patisserie that they're going to get for their breakfasts in the morning (not dairy free for me and the littlest one though. Boo!), we bought some very cheap but amazingly tasty wine and we lost Mr B countless times in the supermarket as he lost focus on what we actually needed and drifted towards the French beer and cheese aisles..some things never change.

We then made our way to Disney Village and went to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner which was fab. It was expensive, but you expect that, and totally un-French, but Henry LOVED it. There was so much to see and watch and the food was actually pretty decent too. Definitely worth going to if you're staying in the area and have small children. 

We then came back to the hotel and got Henry to sleep so Mr B and I escaped down to the hotel bar for a quick drink while Marmar babysat. Unfortunately we only managed one because Henry woke up absolutely heartbroken that I wasn't there. My mum didn't believe me about no one else being able to settle Henry at night! He is an absolute angel all day and so easy...but a totally different story at night!! Anyway we still managed one and a bowl full of peanuts, so don't feel too sorry for us.

And so here I am, now blogging whilst trying to feed him back to sleep (mission impossible) and we're all getting an early night before Disneyland in the morning. Exciting times.

Henry's first Nando's

Continuing with the theme of 'firsts' this week, Henry experienced his first Nando's earlier today. We decided to pop out for lunch to start out holiday off in style and decided to take Henry for his first Nando's. Mr B and I love Nando's, we've been going for years and despite the crazy price hikes of recent years, we still love it (even if it is a bit of a rip off these days!).

Henry tucked into his daddy's olives to start and then had a kids' meal ( priced at £5.50, which isn't bad at all). We chose the chicken breast strips with cherry tomatoes and corn on the cob for him, and he had a few of my chips too. He absolutely loved it, and finished it off with an apple and blackcurrant ice lolly which was included in his meal. A lovely family lunch, we'll definitely be back soon. 

We're now off on the train to London where we'll stay the night before boarding the Eurostar bright and early in the morning. Disneyland Paris, we're on our way!

Henry at 13 months

I had originally planned to stop these monthly updates but I think I'll continue for a few more months, mainly because I can't get over how much my little one is changing on a daily basis. They're also lovely to look back on in a few months time and good to refer to in the future when we're wondering when Henry met his main milestones.

Weight: I haven't had Henry weighed officially but think he's between 23 and 24 pounds. Compared to other babies his age, I'd say he's pretty average, he's definitely not as chunky as he once was despite his enormous appetite!

Routine: We've really noticed that this month Henry doesn't need his naps the way he once did. Just last month Henry really needed his two daily naps or he'd be a total nightmare. Now he's able to miss a nap or we can delay naps if we have something to do or somewhere to go. Ideally we'd like him to have 1 lunchtime nap, but because I'm not home from work until 1:15, this isn't really practical during the week. He's still a great napper and is really flexible so we can fit his napping around our day.

Food: He's just a star, still so easy to feed. He'll eat anything except for broccoli and this month's favourites are fresh pineapple, black olives and green beans (fried with pancetta and garlic....the child's got taste!). I absolutely adore cooking for him. We finally have a hospital appointment next week after being referred for his allergies a few months back. I'm still breastfeeding, pretty much on demand, which I plan to continue doing until we have a decent alternative. Hopefully the hospital appointment next week will help with that.

Sleep: Last week Henry slept through the night for the second time ever, definite progress!! He's much much better than he was, he settles on an evening quickly and we don't hear a peep from him, which I would have paid good money for just a couple of months back. Most nights he'll wake up once or twice, but does settle quickly after a cuddle or quick boob feed.

Sizes: Henry is in 12-18 month clothes and size 4+ nappies. He is now a size 4G for his little shoes.

Milestones: 

• Henry can finally walk! He just looks so cute waddling around and thinks he's so clever when we clap and cheer when he walks between us.

• He had his first ever hair cut this week and looks very cute with his big boy hair!

• Henry talks and babbles ALL day long. He can say Mama, Dada, George, Marmar, juice, bang, boo and key. He gets particularly excited when he hears his Daddy getting home on an evening and shouts "Dadda" really loudly. Very cute.

• He now has 10 teeth and another 1 coming through. He has 2 molars which he really struggled with, poor little thing. Hopefully the other 2 won't cause him as much pain.

• Henry can use a fork and spoon himself  at dinner time. We tend to load the fork and spoon with the food and hand it to him to feed himself.

• Henry does the actions for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which he learnt at his music class that my mum takes him to. He wiggles his fingers for the first line then points upwards for the 'up above the world so high' line. I absolutely love it. He also knows how to do 'round and round the garden' on his hand and especially loves the 'tickly under there' part!

• A bit of a random one but Henry can now drink from a straw. I've wondered for ages when he'd learn to do this so thought I'd include it for future reference. He is loving being able to drink little cartons of Innocent smoothies! 

I've absolutely loved this month; he's such a gorgeous age and is learning new tricks every day.

A very lazy weekend full of 'firsts'

We're having such a lovely lazy weekend. We've had no appointments, no set-times or deadlines, we've had long lie ins and lazy naps in bed, tasty treats and lots of TV and snuggle time. More importantly though, we've had a couple of exciting 'firsts'.

Yesterday afternoon Henry and his Daddy went to the barbers for Henry's very first haircut! His hair was getting really long in places, and although I loved the curls, I'm generally not a fan of boys with long hair so we've been meaning to have it cut for weeks. He looks so adorable with his big boy hair and daddy said he was really good having it cut; he sat in the chair like a really big boy all by himself. Daddy left his phone at home though, so no cute pictures unfortunately! Here it is all finished:

And then today we had an even more exciting 'first' - Henry's first proper steps! He's been cruising around furniture for ages and would take the odd step on his own between objects, but never more than one. Then this morning he could just do it, he can pretty much walk across the room between me and Daddy and he is super pleased with himself, as he should be. We are so proud of our big boy.

Prosecco Friday and Lazy Saturday

Two of my favourite times of the week. Prosecco Friday and Lazy Saturday.

Prosecco Friday consists of prosecco, PJs, take away, trashy tv and not moving from the sofa all evening. Washing up gets left, no washing or drying gets done; it's amazing. Last night I could have quite easily stayed upstairs and gone to sleep with Henry, but 7:45 isn't a good bedtime for someone in their late twenties so I held out and enjoyed my Prosecco Friday instead....until 10pm at least!

My second favourite time of the week is definitely Lazy Saturday. Henry gets up with Mr B (lucky bugger got a lie in until 7:45 today) and I stay in bed. Mr B had cooked croissants this morning (5 husband points to him) so I had a couple of those when I woke up and we are currently all still in our PJs drinking cups of tea and coffee and watching tv. I don't care that it's nearly lunchtime; I'm enjoying snuggles with my little one in his PJs and we're in no rush to start our day.

Little bits of life

Clockwise from top left

Blue frame

New 'foxy' winter PJs

A little Eagle

A footprint reindeer all ready for our Xmas cards

Round and round the garden

New toys!

Yellow frame

Packing for holidays

The Box of Shame

Cooking with a baby

Home cooked pain au chocolat

Henry made a butterfly friend 

Throwback Thursday - Disneyland 2006

Me in Disneyland Paris, July 2006. Can't believe in less than a week we'll be back again with our beautiful little boy. Magical.

Satay chicken skewers recipe

Ingredients 

400g diced chicken breast

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons boiling water or chicken stock 

4 tablespoons peanut butter 

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Method

•Place the chicken breasts in a bowl.

•Combine all of the other ingredients in a separate bowl using the back of a spoon. The peanut butter makes this pretty difficult but stick at it, it'll come together eventually.

•Pour the marinade over the chicken and place in the fridge for a couple of hours.

•Put the chicken onto wooden skewers and cook. You can do this in a frying pan, in the oven, on the grill or on the BBQ. I definitely prefer the BBQ but on cold, miserable days like today, the oven does just fine.

Serve with whatever you fancy! Henry had his lots of different veggies and a few oven chips. He loved it.

Writers' Block - v2

I apologise for the total lack of blog updates recently, I'm hopeless. I could blame it on the fact that I never get a chance to sit down, but I do. I could tell you that I've been super busy, stressed or frantic at work, but I haven't. The honest truth is, our everyday life is pretty mundane, pretty average and I just can't understand why anyone would want to read about it. 

Now that I'm back at work we've settled into a nice little routine which wouldn't win any awards for excitement, but fills me with happy contentment everyday. Of course I'd like to be going on lots of wild adventures, seeing new places, doing new things....

But actually there's nowhere I'd rather be every morning than breastfeeding my little boy in bed, listening to the rain lash down and the wind howl outside. I love that it feels as if we're the only ones awake and I can enjoy a brief moment of calm before the chaos of the 'school run' begins. There's nowhere I'd rather be at lunchtime than driving home to my boy; I still get excited as I pull into my mum's street and I love seeing his little face when I come though the door, his chubby arms held out to me and usually followed by panting which signifies he is ready for some milkies. There's nowhere I'd rather spend my afternoon than playing with blocks and toy animals, watching Waybuloo and Thomas the Tank, singing songs and rhymes and cuddling my littlest one at nap time. There's nowhere I'd rather be on an evening than sitting round the dining table with my little family, chatting about our days, eating a tasty home-cooked dinner. I love that I'm home every night to kiss Henry goodnight, I can tell him how much I love him and I know that there has never, and will never be, a doubt in his mind as to whether his mummy will be there should he wake up. 

So there you see, this is the reason I haven't been blogging so much. I adore my very repetitive, slightly mundane little routine, I wouldn't change any of it for the world. But I'm also aware that it doesn't always make for particularly exciting reading.

I do promise we'll be getting out more soon. We're off to Disneyland Paris next week for a little adventure and after that it'll be Halloween, Bonfire Night and shortly after that, Christmas. So until those exciting times, I'm off to enjoy the peace, however boring it may be to the readers of a blog.

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that there is nowhere on planet earth that I'd rather be than lying in bed with this one at nap time. So precious.

Bloody teeth!!

Tonight I have a million and one things to do. My to-do list tells me I have bills to pay, bags to pack, washing to do, clothes to iron, rooms to tidy and the all important Christmas card designs to finish. Unfortunately Henry has other plans. The poor little thing is getting two molars through as well as another incisor at the bottom. He's never been in pain this badly from teething; he's just screaming out in pain, his little cheeks are red, he's chewing everything in sight and his nappies are hideous. So the to-do list has had to wait and for now I'm snuggled up on the sofa cuddling a very sad little boy. Thank the Lord for prosecco and Calpol! 

This too shall pass

When you've had a bad few nights sleep due to teething or a baby who has been cluster feeding for weeks, experienced mummies always tell you that it's just a phase...and it will pass. At the time, it's not always what you want to hear. Sleep deprivation is a funny old thing and 4 nights with no sleep can often feel like 4 years. But they're right, even the tightest of routines change so quickly when it comes to babies and looking back now, I can't believe how quickly this last year has gone. How many phases have passed us by.

I remember asking a friend for advice when Henry was cluster feeding for weeks when he was tiny. She told me to sit down, take control of the tv remote, have my husband bring me plenty to eat and drink and enjoy putting my feet up while Henry happily fed...constantly...for hours...night after night. Genuinely without exaggerating, he used to feed for up to 5 hours at a time. Apparently totally normal newborn breastfeeding behaviour, but enough to make the calmest of yummy mummies crack. It wasn't the advice I wanted to hear. I didn't think she understood how bad it was; it was lasting forever, or so it seemed by week 12. She was totally right though. Some nights now while I'm chasing around a very active 1 year old, cleaning up banana which has been smeared into the dog's hair, removing little hands from toilet seats and toilet brushes and bins and laptops, I long for those easy evenings where I could watch 6 episodes of Kardashians whilst eating cake and drinking pint after pint of orange squash. That phase did pass, she was right.

It was the same with the up all night phase, the nap battle phase, the phase where he wouldn't entertain his cot for longer than 5 minutes at a time. The phase where he screamed really loud for attention, the one where he woke up 6 times before we'd even gone to bed, the phase where only mummy would do. The one where he hated having his nappy changed, where he hated Tesco, where he wouldn't be put down or play with any toys. The one where I used to long to be left alone in peace in the bath for longer than 3 and a half minutes, the one where meals out seemed impossible.

I think next time around I'll be a lot more laid back about these crazy phases. I now know first hand that these phases do pass, things do improve and despite every protest at the time, I absolutely will miss the crazy sleep deprived days, the days where I had a baby attached to my boob for 20 hours of the day. I might even (heaven forbid) refer to those days as the best of my life. Maybe.

Turkey and Apple meatballs - cooking for a toddler

I LOVE cooking for Henry, he's such an easy baby to feed and always enjoys his dinner. Tonight I tried something a bit new and it was a definite hit with my little one, so thought I'd share on the blog in case anyone else is looking for some inspiration.  I saw a recipe for chicken and apple balls in my Annabel Karmel recipe book which is what inspired me to make these, with a few tweaks here and there. They're actually really healthy too, I think we'll all be having these for our tea in the next week or two.

Turkey and apple meatballs

Makes around 30 balls

Ingredients 

300g minced turkey

50g fresh breadcrumbs

1 onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

2 apples, cored, peeled and grated and then the juice squeezed out

Salt and pepper

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

Plain flour for coating

Olive oil for frying 

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll into small balls and then roll lightly in the flour.

Fry until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Henry had his meatballs served with green beans and sweetcorn which he loves, but you could pretty much have them with anything; we might try them on pasta next. The apple in them makes them really sweet and the herbs make them so tasty. A lovely Saturday night treat for my little hen.

Boring adult life

Today I had to call out an engineer as our boiler is leaking and I also spent £387 on having my car serviced, new types and brake pads. What an expensive bore off. Very boring adult things to have to do.

Other boring adult things that happened today were a huge Tesco online shop sorted to be delivered tomorrow, an afternoon nap with Henry, a Thai take away for tea and a glass of prosecco with Mr B. Again, very boring adult things, but all things I love. I'm such a simple creature to please these days really. As long as I'm not tired, I'm warm, well-fed and watered, I'm a happy mama! It's also very nearly the weekend, just a lesson to teach, a meeting to attend and I'm free as a bird until Monday. Life doesn't get much better.

How could a nap with this little one not make you smile?

The Mummy Tag

Now I haven't officially been tagged and I probably won't tag anyone else, but I've read this tag on a few other blogs that I follow and enjoyed reading it so thought I'd give it a go, especially as I'm lacking in inspiration for my blog this week.

1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum, or a Working Mum?

I work part time: 5 mornings and 1 afternoon a week. Henry stays with my mum whole I work.

2. Would you have it any other way?

Honestly, yes. I'd stay at home with Henry all day if money was no object. But working part time is a happy compromise for now.

3. Do you co-sleep?

Henry always goes to sleep in his cot but is very rarely still in it come 7am! So yes, we co-sleep for some of the night every night.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?

A sling. I absolutely couldn't live without our Connecta Baby Carrier, I just wish we'd discovered it earlier. I can't wait to use it with a newborn next time around.

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

I'd love 5, Mr B wants 2, so I think we'll compromise on 3...or maybe 4 if I'm really lucky.

6. Date night? How many nights per month?

Once a month, if that. Date nights these days usually consist of a take away, bottle of prosecco, Prison Break and our sofa. I wouldn't have it any other way.

7. Your child's favourite show?

Waybuloo or In the Night Garden.

8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?

Soft toys, taggies and soft comforter type toys. As I didn't use a dummy, I really wanted Henry to have some kind of comforter but he just wasn't interested in anything we tried.

9. Your child’s favourite food?

Watermelon or beef casserole.

10. How many cars does your family have?

2. I have our family car and Mr B has a company car with his job.

11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during and after and now?

I gained 26lb during pregnancy, lost it all plus another 24lb...just realised this means I'm 50 pounds lighter than I was just over a year ago. Wow!

12. Dream holiday with your kids?

I can't wait to do Disney and Florida  when all of our children are older.

13. Dream holiday without your kids?

The Maldives. We went for our honeymoon and loved it. We won't be going on a holiday without our kids until they're all grown up though...I really don't understand why you'd go on holiday without your children.

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

I used to love to sleep, I got about 10 hours every night and more on a weekend. Now I'm lucky if I get 6 hours of broken sleep each night. On a more positive note, I've never been happier than I have been this year. I LOVE being a mummy.

15. Finish the sentence: 'It makes my heart melt to see … '

My baby boy smiling and laughing.

16. Where do you shop for your kids?

M&S, H&M, Monsoon, Next and Sainsburys are the most common places that we buy clothes.

17. Favourite makeup and skincare products?

Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation is amazing and my favourite skin care product is definitely Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant.

18. Huggies or Pampers?

Pampers Baby Dry are the only nappies we've used that haven't leaked. We always use Huggies Pure wipes. 

19. Have you always wanted kids?

Yes! When I was little I used to tell people when I wanted to grow up I wanted to be a mummy.

 

20. Best part about being a mum?

That total, unconditional love that you feel for such a tiny little human. Nothing compares.

A thoroughly lovely Saturday

Weekends are SO much better when you work all week....it's nearly worth going out to work for...nearly!

Mr B was going out to the football today so we met a friend and her little boy at a lovely play group this morning. It was so nice being able to take Henry myself for a change, obviously that's the downside to working every morning. Henry and his Marmar have a lovely little routine during the week and go to a different class or group every day and it was nice to finally be able to take him myself today. He did lots of playing, craft activities (mainly done by me with him making a mess beside me!), singing and had snack and juice with the other children. Cute.

My baby's Autumn masterpiece (very talented mummy!)

We then met my Mum for a really tasty lunch in Zizzi. Their children's menu is fab because they do a special 'tiny tummies' section which is a small bowl of tomatoey pasta with dough sticks, which was a perfect size for Henry's lunch. We did a bit of shopping in town too and picked Henry up some new shoes and slippers in Clarks, he's now a size 4G, such a little cutie patootie.

Messy boy at lunch!

Henry then fell asleep in his pushchair which bought us some quiet shopping time and a peaceful cup of tea in a cafe before heading home.

Fast asleep wearing his shiny new shoes.

I went back to my Mum's for a little while this afternoon before coming home to play with Henry for the rest of the evening. Mr B is on his way home with pizza and then I'm off to bed. Can't wait for my Sunday lie in in the morning!

New slippers, so adorable.

Dear Henry (September 2014)

My little Pigwidgeon,

You are now one whole year old, I still can't believe it. You had such a lovely birthday and were thoroughly spoilt by everyone. You got so many cards, I'll keep them all for you to look at when you're older. You also got so many presents and lots of money too, such a lucky lucky boy to have so many kind family and friends already. We had a party at home the day before your birthday and then on your actual birthday we went to Marmar's house for breakfast, then Mummy and Daddy took you to Wagamama for your lunch, then to the soft play centre and finally to the farm to see the animals and go in the park. You were such a good boy all day and needless to say we all had lots of lovely cake that weekend!

You've been poorly this month, your first tummy bug. I felt so sorry for you, you were really poorly with it. You were sick lots and had awful diarrhoea too. Mummy and Parpar also caught the bug but we weren't as poorly as you. Marmar took good care of you while I worked and we spent lots of afternoons cuddling and napping that week until you were all better.

Ever since you have had the world's biggest appetite; I can't fill you!! I honestly can't believe such a little boy can eat so much!! I'm trying to get you to use your fork and spoon at the moment but you still prefer to use your hands or for Mummy to help you with the spoon. You'll still eat absolutely anything and lots of it, I hope you're always like this, you're so easy to feed.

We only have 3 more weeks until we're off to Disneyland Paris for a few days, I can't wait!! I'll tell you all about it at the end of next month in my letter.

That's all for now beautiful boy, Mummy loves you so much, always remember that.

xxx