« November 2014 | Main | January 2015 »
342/365
Teddy needed a wee-wee. Apparently, he did a "little poo" too. Little R knew exactly what to do - walked the potty down the hall and then we heard him "pour" the contents down the toilet. And yes, he is still insisting on wearing his "Miss-mass dumper" every day he can. We're getting a lot of use out of that reindeer!
340/365
Admiring the Christmas lights outside Great-Auntie Alison's house.
341/365
How excited was Little R when he got to put on the new apron Auntie Kirsty made him and help Grandma to bake up a second chocolate log in her new machine? I think VERY!
P.S. He was most of the reason that a second was needed - he, Auntie Kirsty and Mummy Rachel had pretty much polished it off between them, and Grandma and I hadn't even had a look in! It was an EPIC chocolate log, I have to say!
339/365
On Boxing Day, Little R decided that Baby Tommy needed a bath. He stripped off his jumper and dungarees and carried him carefully up the stairs to wash him in Grandma's bath... with pretend water. Then he helped to wrap him in a towel and said "Teef! On bed." That is Little R's bathtime routine - although we usually read him a Thomas the Tank Engine story at the same time. Throughout, he talked to Baby Tommy. Little phrases like "In barf - spash spash!" "Big cuddle!" "Clean teef - wew done Babee Tommee!"
He's going to be an excellent big brother, I believe.
338/365
We had a marvellous Christmas Day 2014 (other than the horrible last half hour of the car journey to Essex, during which I felt so carsick from helping Little R with his sticker book that I had to stick my fingers out of the window and do some deep breathing and Little R was so desperate to escape from his carseat that he was squirming and crying).
Little R really GOT the opening presents thing this year. In fact, we had to fight for the right to open our own presents. Anything in a box had to be immediately opened and unwrapped for him to play with... for a few minutes until he realised there were other parcels to be opened. Clothes, I'm sad to say, were mostly discarded by him (except for his new Aran cardigan which he decided to cuddle like a teddy) but this tunnel from Auntie Kirsty was crawled through again and again. And posed in, as you can see. He got a beautiful Busy Book from Grandma which I'm going to have to do a whole separate post about. He is slightly obsessed with his "wude elphant" story from Auntie Becka. It's called "The Slightly Annoying Elephant" and it's by David Walliams. It is pretty hilarious. I think it's one of those books which might occasionally have to "go missing" down the back of the sofa to give us a bit of a break from reading it! And Grandma made him some brilliant brushed cotton pyjamas which make him look SO grown up and keep him cosy-wosy.
I was relieved to manage to get him down for a nap at about midday (we tried a walk round the block first in his buggy, but he screamed non-stop the entire way round and I'm pretty sure we ruined the peaceful Christmas Day walks for two dog-owners - oops!) with some milk and that meant we got to eat the mains of our Christmas dinner in peace and quiet. We were able to bang our crackers (he's developed an unfortunate cracker fear since discovering that they sound like fireworks [we have to discuss the Great Fireworks Night Trauma at least once a day - it goes like this "Dark - fireworks. Mamar and Bumpa. Loud. Crying. Scaaaawy."] and do not, as their name suggests, contain biscuits!) and scoff our delicious roast while enjoying adult conversation. Very different from last year, when he was over-tired and stressed and cried throughout the meal. Then he woke just as we finished and ate LOADS of turkey and plenty of chocolate log. Perfect timing.
During the afternoon we played and watched Frozen (had to be done - entire family singing "Let it Go!" at the top of our lungs. Well, ok. Mum and me, while Kirsty looked on in disgust) and played some more. Then he even went to sleep without a fuss at bedtime, enabling us to have an evening of relaxing board games and giggles.
It was blooming marvellous.
337/365
On Christmas Eve at Mamar and Bumpa's, we open our presents and THIS was the present I'd been most looking forward to Little R opening. His very first bike - a wooden balance bike with little leather seat, adjustable steering control and foam handles. He loved walking himself forwards on his tip toes, although Bumpa had to help a little with the balancing. We're going to enjoy learning to use this toy!
336/365
We had such fun on this morning, looking around the EXCELLENT Miniature World exhibits. There are several huge layouts with trains, and everything around them. This was the Japanese layout, complete with mountains, skyscrapers, river etc. My favourite was the Europa one because it had a snowy Scandanavian mountain scene with Father Christmas and reindeer! Little R loved watching the trains trundling backwards and forwards and I loved looking for the Tardis' which were hidden in most layouts.
335/365
While we stayed at Mamar and Bumpa's house, Little R came back to this book again and again. Mamar's book of "Dumb Questions". Mostly, I think he liked flicking the pages back and forth.
334/365
Yup - this is a completely normal toddler situation. He climbed inside the top of Honey's hutch while Rachel was cleaning out the bottom. He just happened to have a helium balloon tied round his middle. As you do.
Christmas... I do love it. I love the anticipation of waiting for it to be time to get down the decorations from the loft, turn on the Classic Christmas CD that we always listen to and put up the decorations.
This year we had my homemade Christmas bunting to hang for the first time - I'd bought the fabric last year and even cut it into triangles, but I didn't find the time to sew it together until the New Year. It looks cosy and colourful, swagged (is that a verb?) around the lounge.
But for me, the Christmas tree is the highlight. This year we didn't need to dig into our collection of gold and red baubels, which I bought cheap as a University student to fill my humble shared tree. We finally have enough unique Christmas tree decorations to fill the branches easily.
What I love most, is that each decoration has a story. Some have been bought at various places, and we can remember the tale of where and when. There are the two we bought in the closing down sale of The Pier, a shop we used to love to visit in Norwich. There is the fluffy Father Christmas we acquired on our disastrous trip to Reykjavik. There is the little mouse in dungarees and robin we got this year at Blackthorpe Barns.
The best ones, however, are the ones we have made ourselves. Starting with the very oldest, a hideous specimen that I made when I was 10 at Brownies. I remember making him. I was really pleased with how my skiing pinecone (where DID they get that idea?!) looked... until I drew on the face. I had not got the hang of drawing faces yet. Oh dear. How odd he suddenly looked.
Disappointed with his strange look (and, to be honest, the fact that he is a skiing pinecone, and therefore not inherently Christmassy!), I've always hidden him deep in the branches of the Christmas tree so he's practically invisible. But he has to be there. It's tradition. I had to take him with me when I left home and I still nestle him deep in the tree, mostly out of sight. Although this year, an intrigued Little R keeps pulling him out to chat to him.
I like to look at my childish handwriting on the bottom. I was in Year 6, and my teacher at the time was very keen that we all join our letters with viciously spiky joins. I didn't like it at all - I prefer to write with smooth, curved joins. I used to rebelliously do my entire page of handwriting that way, knowing I'd be sent back to my desk to repeat the entire exercise again, this time spikier. It was a battle of wills between my teacher and I. I always wonder whether I wrote the neat, joined named first and then got bored labelling the second one, or whether it was the other way round.
Anyway, moving on. There are also a whole range of knitted creatures who peep out from our tree branches. The fairy, clown, Christmas tree and elf were all knitted when I was a teenager. I've made the little snowman and mouse in the last couple of years.
There is also a reindeer (I also made one for my Grandma a couple of years ago) and a couple of knitted miniature mittens that Rachel's made.
Next, chronologically, are the ceramic decorations that Rachel and I painted during our little Christmas break at Center Parks many years ago. 2010, I think it was. We both got the flu. Swine flu, we think. I've never felt so ill in all my life. We spent the whole trip dosed up on Day Nurse, struggling through all the active, outdoorsy activities we'd booked. I remember I kept having to put down my paintbrush to blow my sore nose, again and again. But they turned out well! I painted the gingerbread man and stocking, and Rachel did the snowman and reindeer.
There are three crocheted star/baubel decorations a la Lucy of Attic24, which I love. I later adapted that design to make my dresser knob covers.
And last year, I made LOADS of felted decorations, for Little R's friends.
I was so proud of how they all looked, but I only had the time to make ONE for our own tree. I planned to make more this year, but morning sickness and time got the better of me. I haven't even got around to adding a ribbon to this one. Epic fail.
Inspired by my selection of felted creations, my Mum make this gorgeous little house that year too, during my FIRST day back at work. It was the first day I'd left Little R, to go into school to plan for my return to work.
I love them all. I love how our collection is slowly growing. It's a tree full of memories, as well as festive cheer. Would you like to see the whole thing in its glory? I'll have to see if I can find a photo of the whole tree, actually... hang on...
Bad luck! I haven't taken one! I've only got photos of Little R adding decorations in his pants. No good. I'll have to take an atmospheric photo on Christmas Eve, twinkling in the darkness and add it.