Bethan did her first wee in her potty! Yay! :-)
Unfortunately it happened whilst I was at work, Boo! :-(
When I got Rob's text I started shouting with happiness in the English Office; I'm sure my colleagues were confused and thought I was getting overly excited about meeting my new Year 8 class. When I explained why I was so euphoric I got the customary "Aww!"
Bethan's first wee on the potty isn't just a rite of passage for her it's also a huge confidence boost for me because I had got my knickers (no pun intended) in a right twist. I had started to convince myself that there was a problem when all I really had to do was promise Beth a trip to Snakes and Ladders at the end of her toiletry exploits and voila! It comes and goes for Bethan - she does it when she can be arsed to be honest. It's exactly the same as when we were waiting patiently (not!) for her to walk.
I suppose this is something most working mothers have to get used to. You do all of the ground work and the moment your back is turned and you are trying to explain the difference between a transitive and intransitive verb to a group of confused looking 13 year olds, your baby or toddler decides to take their first step or crawl or wee in their potty.
The kids are definitely as unsettled as I am, as is the cat but she's always pissed off to be honest. Besides the guilt of leaving them I have a) the guilt of missing important rites of passage b) the guilt of not being as entertaining as the nanny when I am off work and c) the guilt of being a Roman Catholic (I was a HUGE Alanis Morissette back in the day).
Another thing that cheesed me off today was that bloody woman famous for being on 'The Apprentice' again. Not content with offending parents who have children called Charmaine or children who have soft play birthday parties (to summarise, she is a snob and assumes these children have no academic rigour) one week later she is telling Phil and Holly and a rather large lady who is well-qualified and looking for a job, that she "would not employ a fat person because they are lazy and lack ambition". The This Morning team in their sub-heading labelled her a "fattist".
This was then followed by a commercial break where MacDonalds are claiming to be the Kofi Annan of the 21st Century non-nuclear family. Apparently all a young teenage boy needs to do is share a Big Mac with their prospective step-father and bang! Peace will reign in your household.
I give up.
Showing posts with label crawling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crawling. Show all posts
Friday 15th February 2013
Last night was...
A SUCCESS in the Romantic stakes!
Initially I thought it would be as successful as Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 Oscar speech. The 'fresh' peppercorn sauce, that was in a sachet, burst everywhere in the shopping bag. I found James eating the hard cat food which meant that he was coughing and spluttering everywhere whilst soaked in the cat's water as he had pulled her drinking bowel over (I'm convinced that baby James is either a. from the planet Krypton or b. preparing himself to be the next Usain Bolt).
However, the thing that made me cry, even more than Gwyneth did in 1998 if that's possible, was the fact that the two children slept for over 2 hours on Valentine's Day afternoon. Ordinarily I would be over the moon as it is extremely rare that I get two hours to myself on any day. I have already planned what I would do if I had a free two hours one afternoon...nothing! I would sit on the sofa, close my eyes and maybe, just maybe if there was time, listen to the afternoon play on Radio Four (with my eyes shut of course).
I spent most of the two hours I had free yesterday afternoon panicking. I was panicking because I knew that this would mean the children would not go to bed until later than usual which would spoil the romantic itinerary I had planned.
Following James' attempt to try baby-led weaning with a packet of Iams, I then panicked about forgetting what to do if I found my child choking. Then, I spent the rest of this free time reading the 'the new edition of 'First Aid for Babies and Children Fast'', analysing the 'What to do if your baby chokes' chapter. This was quite difficult because I was using Bethan's My First Tiny Tears as a model whilst trying to keep the book open. I suppose it would be 'Fast' if you were practicing with someone else. Finally, I found their website which is amazing. They have these short YouTube videos embedded on their website showing you what to do in a whole host of emergencies. So, for the final 15 minutes of my unexpected free time, I could sit down with a cup of tea and a Hobnob, watching what to do if my baby was choking, as many times as I liked on my laptop! I have now put this website as a 'favourite' on my tool bar.
The day was certainly picking up.
Ok, so we ate at 09:30 that evening and we watched Question Time after. In fact drunkenly discussing and having a heated debate on politics with my husband on Valentine's Day is almost a tradition for the Hilliers now. Except last time I got thrown out of the restaurant with it's 'special Valentine's Day' £45 per head a la carte menu (that didn't even include drinks) because I was rather loudly saying how much I disliked Tony Blair.
However, it is the fact that we love discussing politics and watching re-runs of the superbly Laurence Olivier narrated 'World at War', that Rob and I know that we are made for each other. We have been through so much together and are still passionate about the things that matter to us. Passion, hmmm...well, I was tucked up in bed by 11:15pm; desperately counting on my fingers how many hours sleep I would get before the children woke up. I missed the end of the increasingly annoying debate about who's to blame for the horse-beef meat fiasco but Rob stayed up to watch the drama unfold under the watchful eyes of David Dimbleby and filled me in this morning, over a cup of tea.
That's love, that is.
A SUCCESS in the Romantic stakes!
Initially I thought it would be as successful as Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 Oscar speech. The 'fresh' peppercorn sauce, that was in a sachet, burst everywhere in the shopping bag. I found James eating the hard cat food which meant that he was coughing and spluttering everywhere whilst soaked in the cat's water as he had pulled her drinking bowel over (I'm convinced that baby James is either a. from the planet Krypton or b. preparing himself to be the next Usain Bolt).
However, the thing that made me cry, even more than Gwyneth did in 1998 if that's possible, was the fact that the two children slept for over 2 hours on Valentine's Day afternoon. Ordinarily I would be over the moon as it is extremely rare that I get two hours to myself on any day. I have already planned what I would do if I had a free two hours one afternoon...nothing! I would sit on the sofa, close my eyes and maybe, just maybe if there was time, listen to the afternoon play on Radio Four (with my eyes shut of course).
I spent most of the two hours I had free yesterday afternoon panicking. I was panicking because I knew that this would mean the children would not go to bed until later than usual which would spoil the romantic itinerary I had planned.
Following James' attempt to try baby-led weaning with a packet of Iams, I then panicked about forgetting what to do if I found my child choking. Then, I spent the rest of this free time reading the 'the new edition of 'First Aid for Babies and Children Fast'', analysing the 'What to do if your baby chokes' chapter. This was quite difficult because I was using Bethan's My First Tiny Tears as a model whilst trying to keep the book open. I suppose it would be 'Fast' if you were practicing with someone else. Finally, I found their website which is amazing. They have these short YouTube videos embedded on their website showing you what to do in a whole host of emergencies. So, for the final 15 minutes of my unexpected free time, I could sit down with a cup of tea and a Hobnob, watching what to do if my baby was choking, as many times as I liked on my laptop! I have now put this website as a 'favourite' on my tool bar.
The day was certainly picking up.
Ok, so we ate at 09:30 that evening and we watched Question Time after. In fact drunkenly discussing and having a heated debate on politics with my husband on Valentine's Day is almost a tradition for the Hilliers now. Except last time I got thrown out of the restaurant with it's 'special Valentine's Day' £45 per head a la carte menu (that didn't even include drinks) because I was rather loudly saying how much I disliked Tony Blair.
However, it is the fact that we love discussing politics and watching re-runs of the superbly Laurence Olivier narrated 'World at War', that Rob and I know that we are made for each other. We have been through so much together and are still passionate about the things that matter to us. Passion, hmmm...well, I was tucked up in bed by 11:15pm; desperately counting on my fingers how many hours sleep I would get before the children woke up. I missed the end of the increasingly annoying debate about who's to blame for the horse-beef meat fiasco but Rob stayed up to watch the drama unfold under the watchful eyes of David Dimbleby and filled me in this morning, over a cup of tea.
That's love, that is.
Thursday 7th February 2013
The dreaded lurgy has hit chez Hillier again - we keep passing it to each other like a stick of dynamite as if to say, "I don't want it, have it back!". No voices have been lost this time but the four of us sound like we've smoked 20 Woodbines in one sitting.
Running out of ideas fast as to how to create damage limitation so that we can break the lurgy cycle. At this point in time, we will try anything as we have already gone through the staples such as: Calpol, Calbufren, Junior Olbas Oil, Hot Toddies (for the adults), Vicks, Karvol (capsules and plug-in), Calpol Plug-In, Steamy bath, ginger...the list is endless. I relented and looked to see what other Alpha Mum's are doing on an Alpha-Type Mum website and among the whole range of remedies, herbal and pharmaceutical, somebody mentioned a Humidifier. We are so desperate that we feel we have already become share-holders in the respective children's medicine companies, so we have forked out 80 quid (please don't laugh) on what can only be described as a big tank of cold water that then lets out cold air. They do provide you with a medicated pad to put in but they only last 8 hours. We have searched high and low for refills but they are all bloody sold out! This makes me feel a little bit better as I know I'm not the only person who has resorted to buying a cold water tank for £80 to help us all breathe a little better.
When I told my mum our latest plan she said, 'Oooo, I'd love one of them!".
"Really?", I asked puzzled as the 1930's house I was brought up in has plenty of air in it as opposed to this 2013 Barratts House that is so well insulated I understand how a beef joint must feel when it's in the oven. We are the only house on the estate that insists on having the windows open in the Winter.
"Oh yes", she replied, "Carol the Cleaner, from the Club, has one and she says it's magic".
"Oh that sounds positive", suddenly I am not feeling so stupid at our purchase.
"Yeah, she says it's fantastic for drying your washing".
Suddenly the misty veil that has been this conversation lifts.
"I think you mean a de-humidifier mam" I tell her.
"What's the difference?" she asks, shocked.
"Well one puts cold air in the room to help you breathe and the other helps to get rid of the condensation in your bay window".
"Well I never" she says "You learn something everyday".
To be fair, I said this as if I had always known the difference when actually I had no idea until I Googled it prior to reserving it on Argos.
Only time will tell if this humidifier has been worth it but for the moment we are sharing it as there is no way we could afford to have one in every room. We have to ascertain each day which of the four of us is feeling the crappest and that bedroom gets to keep it.
____________________________________
Question to self, "Why do I insist on sterilising everything when I found the door stop to the lounge in James' mouth today as well as him crawling and then falling onto the cat's tail?".
Running out of ideas fast as to how to create damage limitation so that we can break the lurgy cycle. At this point in time, we will try anything as we have already gone through the staples such as: Calpol, Calbufren, Junior Olbas Oil, Hot Toddies (for the adults), Vicks, Karvol (capsules and plug-in), Calpol Plug-In, Steamy bath, ginger...the list is endless. I relented and looked to see what other Alpha Mum's are doing on an Alpha-Type Mum website and among the whole range of remedies, herbal and pharmaceutical, somebody mentioned a Humidifier. We are so desperate that we feel we have already become share-holders in the respective children's medicine companies, so we have forked out 80 quid (please don't laugh) on what can only be described as a big tank of cold water that then lets out cold air. They do provide you with a medicated pad to put in but they only last 8 hours. We have searched high and low for refills but they are all bloody sold out! This makes me feel a little bit better as I know I'm not the only person who has resorted to buying a cold water tank for £80 to help us all breathe a little better.
When I told my mum our latest plan she said, 'Oooo, I'd love one of them!".
"Really?", I asked puzzled as the 1930's house I was brought up in has plenty of air in it as opposed to this 2013 Barratts House that is so well insulated I understand how a beef joint must feel when it's in the oven. We are the only house on the estate that insists on having the windows open in the Winter.
"Oh yes", she replied, "Carol the Cleaner, from the Club, has one and she says it's magic".
"Oh that sounds positive", suddenly I am not feeling so stupid at our purchase.
"Yeah, she says it's fantastic for drying your washing".
Suddenly the misty veil that has been this conversation lifts.
"I think you mean a de-humidifier mam" I tell her.
"What's the difference?" she asks, shocked.
"Well one puts cold air in the room to help you breathe and the other helps to get rid of the condensation in your bay window".
"Well I never" she says "You learn something everyday".
To be fair, I said this as if I had always known the difference when actually I had no idea until I Googled it prior to reserving it on Argos.
Only time will tell if this humidifier has been worth it but for the moment we are sharing it as there is no way we could afford to have one in every room. We have to ascertain each day which of the four of us is feeling the crappest and that bedroom gets to keep it.
____________________________________
Question to self, "Why do I insist on sterilising everything when I found the door stop to the lounge in James' mouth today as well as him crawling and then falling onto the cat's tail?".
Sunday 2nd February 2013
They came, they saw, they celebrated and they went...back to the North West.
For the first time in three years Rob and I celebrated, guilt-free the birth of our amazing daughter and the Christening of our beautiful son; surrounded by a family that have been unfailing in their support to us and friends who have picked us up when we hit rock bottom.
You know you've either had an amazing weekend or a crap weekend when you wake up and your eye makeup makes you look like Alice Cooper.
Fortunately for me it was the former. I don't often put on a bit of slap; funnily enough it's not a priority for me in the mornings when I'm up to my neck in baby poo and a toddler's snotty nose. I feel like I'm doing the world a favour if I'm out of my pj's by noon.
But it felt fantastic to get my hair done, dust down the Clarins (side-thought: I'm sure I read somewhere that make-up goes out-of-date. If that is the case then my skin is up shit creak without a paddle) and dress up with my family.
It's amazing watching how your baby develops in such a short space of time too. Surrounded by his friends and cousins, James just blossomed. He will definitely give Bethan a run for her money in a few months.
My American friend said that watching a baby develop is compelling because it's like watching a science experiment unfolding. I agree, watching my children develop is as fascinating as it is wonderful. And like a science experiment, you're never quite sure what the results will be but it's damn exciting, shrouded in tentative moments and can be very funny.
After lots of attention and interaction this weekend, James has gone from rolling around like an Olympic gymnast on the floor to a confident little crawler.
He keeps trying to get through the curtains like those people who were on 'Stars in their Eyes' and said "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..." except that he hasn't actually managed to get through to the other side to the dried ice and music. However, it's only a matter of time before he appears as Neil Diamond.
In the meantime James continues to wrap himself up in the curtains, terrorise the cat and build up the courage to crawl to his Everest: the front door. I'm just really pleased that A&E is five minutes around the corner.
For the first time in three years Rob and I celebrated, guilt-free the birth of our amazing daughter and the Christening of our beautiful son; surrounded by a family that have been unfailing in their support to us and friends who have picked us up when we hit rock bottom.
You know you've either had an amazing weekend or a crap weekend when you wake up and your eye makeup makes you look like Alice Cooper.
Fortunately for me it was the former. I don't often put on a bit of slap; funnily enough it's not a priority for me in the mornings when I'm up to my neck in baby poo and a toddler's snotty nose. I feel like I'm doing the world a favour if I'm out of my pj's by noon.
But it felt fantastic to get my hair done, dust down the Clarins (side-thought: I'm sure I read somewhere that make-up goes out-of-date. If that is the case then my skin is up shit creak without a paddle) and dress up with my family.
It's amazing watching how your baby develops in such a short space of time too. Surrounded by his friends and cousins, James just blossomed. He will definitely give Bethan a run for her money in a few months.
My American friend said that watching a baby develop is compelling because it's like watching a science experiment unfolding. I agree, watching my children develop is as fascinating as it is wonderful. And like a science experiment, you're never quite sure what the results will be but it's damn exciting, shrouded in tentative moments and can be very funny.
After lots of attention and interaction this weekend, James has gone from rolling around like an Olympic gymnast on the floor to a confident little crawler.
He keeps trying to get through the curtains like those people who were on 'Stars in their Eyes' and said "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..." except that he hasn't actually managed to get through to the other side to the dried ice and music. However, it's only a matter of time before he appears as Neil Diamond.
In the meantime James continues to wrap himself up in the curtains, terrorise the cat and build up the courage to crawl to his Everest: the front door. I'm just really pleased that A&E is five minutes around the corner.
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