Happy Birthday Sebastian

Two years ago today our smallest boy entered the world and made our family complete.

It was a long hard day, after a battle with my iron levels I was eventually 'allowed' to birth him at home only for him to be a million days late over a fortnight late so had to go in and have my labour induced.

Nathaniel and I spent all morning waiting at the hospital waiting and waiting. They evetually got around to giving me the jelly at lunchtime. Simon arrived and took Nathaniel to school to fetch his sisters. My lovely friend Claire (don't know where we'd have been without her) brought them all back to the hospital with a picnic.

We spent the evening together as a family, I had a bath and the girls gave me some peer massage they had learnt at school, it wasn't what I wanted but it was alright. Just before 9 I wanted to push so after a quick shift change a new midwife took me down stairs, I delivered Sebastian just after nine. I fed him, introduced him to the rest of his very tired (but so well behaved) family.` I bathed and dressed, dressed my newest addition and drove us home. Everyone was snug in their bed before midnight.

I think he is the luckiest boy, he arrived and was so brand new and already he had five people that loved him so much!

He is built like a rugby player, he has shoulders like his father, big and strong. A fact we were grateful for when he suffered a terible bout of pneumonia when he was just ten weeks old. He walked and jumped early and is so full of joy. He hides his hands and makes jokes. He is kind and affectionate and we love him so.

Sebastian pretending he's a big boy with his brother Nathaniel;



Happy birthday little man, can't believe it's two years ago!!

A Whole Year!?

I can't believe that yesterday was a whole year since our littlest boy arrived in our lives;


It was a long day for us all and not at all what we had planned but he arrived safe and sound and within three hours of his hospital delivery I was snuggled up in my own bed at home, so not all bad really.

I feel like a really bad mother after the train crash of a birthday cake;


It tasted good though!!

Sebastian was slightly alarmed when we all sang to him;


But soon got over it when he could get his hands on the goodies;

Happy Birthday baby Seb!

A Quick Round-Up

This week has just gone in a blur, there have been so many changes to our lives this last few weeks, the most amazing is that my big man Nathaniel has started his nursery school place, all three and four year old children in the Uk are entitled to fifteen hours a week (term time) of free education. This can either be knocked off a full time place at a private nursery or, like we do, five mornings or afternoons at a nursery school. He is very tired but is having an amazing time, playing new games, making new friends and learning lots during his play. It's a wonderful opportunity for him but I miss him very much indeed;


An awful picture of me (because I took it) but I just love his cheeky face!

There has been lots and lots of independant standing from this little man;


On the floor, on the bed, on the stairs (argh) and even on the Wii balance board;

Last night after tea he took three steps, I'm surprised you couldn't hear the cheering and clapping where you live! I don't think it'll be long and then it'll be time for shoes, he has grown so quick, has so many words and I can't believe we'll have had him for a whole year next week.

Sebastian is missing his big brother too and goes around the house in the morning looking under tables, in other rooms and over the stair gate shouting 'Nan-Nan', I'm sure when he gets used to his absence he'll love the time when he doesn't have to share me with anyone else.

He still won't nurse at the breast and I'm still pumping, how long for I'm not sure yet but am sure it'll be a discussion for my other blog before long.

I've spent the week filling custom orders from last Sunday and have set up a facebook page for my creations (go me)!

We, as volunteers are now being managed by the nct which is really rather good, we all met our new training bod yesterday, she's very nice and I have a feeling that we will continue to work well together. It was lovely to meet up with the girls that trained with me and have a good old gossip about what we're all doing. We have booked our Christmas gathering and someone suggested a night out too, maybe I'll get a bit of a social life going on now too.....?!

I have been asked to extend my peer supporter role in another children's centre in the town and things are looking good for my future with that in mind.

It's all very exciting and very busy at the mo, but good busy, if you know what I mean?

Daisie xxx

My Little Workie Man

Nathaniel is loving the renovations, he likes to help, he has his wheel barrow, which was put to great use the day we filled the skip, he has his own 'measure' and 'level' and likes to poke his screwdriver into holes. He also likes to climb ladders;

Which is very very scary!!

Work has slowed down somewhat beacuse Simon is back at work. We are boarded out upstairs and my FIL has replaced the old bathroom door (that was cut at an angle at the top to fit the badly made hole many years ago, because we have taken the wall down we could make a square hole for it, looks much better), most of downstairs has been battoned out so the walls will be straight with proper corners, no more slanted bookshelves for us!! With the walls to finish, plaster and a new floor to lay we're not expecting to start decorating until the October half term holiday. Simon will plod on doing bits after work and during weekends. It will be worth it (she says repeatedly as she rocks in the corner).

Yesterday was a relaxed affair, Elizabeth and I are planning a late night cinema adventure together later in the week so we just had friends visit and we made cake yesterday. Prue Leith's amazing chocolate and orange cake;

And for the non human chocolate eaters amongst us an orange sponge with orange buttercream on top;

Seb has his first slice of birthday cake and enjoyed it although he lacks finesse;

There have been some crafting activities but they are for presents so I'll share them at a later date.

Daisie xxx

I Never Thought I'd Be Discussing html Code With My Eight Year Old!

See this little man;

He's not so smiley today. Teeth number seven and eight are causing trouble. He is grumpy, he is tired, he is loathe to eat, he won't cuddle, he won't nurse. He is one sad little bunny :( We sat down here through alot of the night, me expressing into a cup for him while he laid still and grizzled. He is a little brighter this morning, I am not after no more than three hours of sleep!

Anyway the reason I popped in is to point you in the direction of Elizabeth's little corner of blogland that she is grudgingly sharing with her sister. She took a bit of inspiration from the lovely Dotty Locket (please note, not Lucy) and is keeping a diary type thingie with book reviews and other such stuff bunged in here and there. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with (and how long it lasts). It would make her day if you'd pop over and say hi every now and again, gets a bit boring only getting comments from your Mummy.

Thanks, Daisie xxx

Why I Love The World Cup

For those of you that know me, don't worry, I haven't taken leave of my senses but look what greeted us when we came home from school (a half empty school as many parents had collected children early to go home and watch the match) via the park;


A very very empty park;


With lots of space for running and jumping and exploring;

Sapce for dowsing (don't ask);

And space for a second-only-in-a-lifetime-swing;

Don't let the smile fool you, he was not impressed and clung on for dear life for the three and a half seconds he sat there!

It was so nice to be just me and mine in a huge space without other people's dogs or children, bliss!

Let's hope England stay in a wee bit longer if this is the result!

Daisie xxx

A New Trick

He has been doing this for a few weeks now and he gets so excited, especially when we all join in and tell hime he's a clever boy!!

It took about forty seven thousand attempts to get these three shots, they're still not great but you get the picture.

Have a happy Saturday, Daisie xxx

500!!!!

This is my 500th post and I was waiting for something terribly exciting to share with you on this special occasion but sadly nothing of great note has been happening. Bits of knitting, cleaning, baking, boobie-ing, playgrouping, parking (green place with swings, not car parking), homeworking, eating etc but nothing amazing.

We've been out in the garden;


With our little friends;


We've had walks in the woods;

With impromptu hats;

Sebastian had a snooze with some buttercups;

Then something very exciting happened;

We built a climbing wall (after nearly melting while painting the new wall and re-painting the kitchen);

And I just love the sunshine and little girls in floppy hats and gingham dresses on school mornings;

And because it's sunny and the summer is soon to be here and it's holidays next week (wooooo-hooooo) and I feel a bit happier than I have done in a while and because you have all been here reading my blatherings for what seems like an age I am going to gather together some of my goodies and give them away to one of the commenters on this post. So say hello and I'll pick someone randomly on sunday afternoon.

Daisie xxx

My Favourite Kind Of Washing Up

Nuff said, Daisie xxx

Kindness

My Mum brought round a huge pile of luverly tomatoes, they have been chopped, peppered, olive oiled, mixed with some chunky peppers and courgettes and slow roasted this afternoon ready to go on some pasta for tomorrow night's tea, thanks Mum!


She also brought round some teeny tiny cucumbers, just Sebastian sized;

And then the postman knocked today and look what he gave me;

I was expecting a little something from the lovely Jackie (because unless you know someone who knows someone it's very hard to suprise people in blogland as you have to ask where they live), I had commented on her blog post last week about some amazing, bargain price, Laura, Ashley fabric she found at her local carboot and she said she'd like to send me some;

The print's much bigger in real life than I had thought but the pinks are lovely, not too sweet and not shout-in-your-face either. Francesca has demanded a summer frock and a matching bag, watch this space.......

Jackie also sent me this lovely too;

My picture doesn't really do it justice, the colours are really strong and crisp, think I know what this is going to be, again, watch this space.....

And having gifts arrive in the post reminded me that I still haven't completed my PIF gifts for three lovely ladies who will have to send me their postal addresses again, I know how bad am I but I have today started filling a little address book for blogland, everyone who has sent me something or I have sent to is now in the book so no more hours trawling emails without success! Hurrah!

Daisie xxx

Apologies To All In East Lancashire!

The freak hail storm this afternoon was all my fault! Bank holiday weekend, an extra day togehter, lets go for a walk and a run in the park;


It was a bit dull and a bit chilly, I made Nathaniel wear a hat to keep his small blonde head warm, it didn't seem so bad, the rest of us in warm cardigans;


Another small boy had his hat on in the sling, I even managed to take a picture of me and Simon with Sebastian, yes I have several chins and Seb does look a bit cross, I think this is due to his hat being pulled down too far (the cross look, not the chins, obviously);

Francesca was a brilliant big sister;

We found masses of wild garlic that smelled so good (think I'll be taking my little trowel in my pocket next time we go);

The children all 'conquered' a small bit of the wood and we had Elizabithia and Francescadom;

We found a butterfly;

And a woodpecker;

We took plenty of nuts but only saw one squirrel, there were just too many dogs about. The nuts may have been essential for our survival as we had to hide out under a bush while the hail fell, Elizabeth commented that we may be there for years (ever the optomist) and we would soon run out of things to eat!

The rain will have filled the river though so it's not all bad;

What did you do today?

Daisie xxx