46 Months Old

April has flown by and it has been a month that signifies that big changes are coming our way. Changes that let me know you’re not the baby I brought home from the hospital, anymore. Leo you are growing up, it’s plain to see. From the sheer height of you these days, to how you conduct yourself to the world and everybody around you. I can’t call you a toddler anymore because you outgrew that title quite a while ago. Mummy has to face facts that you are now a little boy, a little boy who will be starting school in a matter of months.

Just the other week we received news of your school place, and were over joyed that you got into the school we had dreamed of for you. We have been talking to you about school for months, we wanted you to be aware of the changes that were coming, but we didn't want to over load you. You have been worried, you know that it’s going to be very different, but you know that different isn't bad. It just means that there are new adventures ahead of you, and when has an adventure ever been anything less than exciting!?

Your Nursery being in the grounds of your new school really helps and they are doing a grand job of helping transition you ready for September. Nursery have started to take you and the other school leavers into the school on a Wednesday for a school lunch. I remember filling out the menu selection just before Easter, and with you being such a fussy eater I was worried that you wouldn’t eat any of the selections over the coming weeks and months. On that first Wednesday they took you over you seemed worried. You said you didn't want to go to big school, and that you wanted to stay at nursery. I thought of you more than usual on that day, and knowing it was a double whammy of things that you didn't want to do (Forest School) I thought it may be a less than great day for you. I was so pleased to get home from work that evening to discover that you had had the BEST DAY! You had loved Forest School for the first time ever, and even put your own trousers on (You’re a little bit lazy and refuse to do these things!) and you had enjoyed the activities. I think even Nursery were surprised and pleased with you!

Then of course it was time to head into School for your lunch, which was Tuna Wrap. I didn't think the Tuna would go down well, in fact I thought that meant that you wouldn't eat at all. Instead you picked the Tuna out declaring ‘I hate fish!’ and devoured the wrap on its own. You did so well and didn’t let the Tuna put you off, and I cannot fault you for that. You saw children that you already knew from the school and got very excited. When I saw you that evening you couldn't tell me about your day quickly enough.

The weather has been improving so you and I have been spending so much more time outside. We have been abandoning the car (Because Mummy is still on her health kick!) and we have been walking all over town. What we are really loving at the moment is a cheeky Costa, you have your Babycino and Mummy has her Cappuccino. In fact you relentlessly flirt with the poor barista. Each time you have been in recently you have flashed your blue eyes, lifted up your shoes and announced ‘I have new shoes!’. Of course the lady looks to admire your new shoes, but those shoes you are describing as new haven’t been new for the last 5 months. But you try again each time you see her, just to get her attention.

We take our Costa’s to the park, we sit in the glorious sunshine and then you’ll run off to play on the tunnel slide while I finish mine. It’s so peaceful sitting there and watching you run around, it made me realise that this right here and now, shows me just how grown up you are. I wonder when I suddenly gave you so much freedom? When I stopped having to follow you around everywhere you went, when I became content that you were now big enough to go down the tunnel slide on your own, and climb back to the top again. Of course I am always there watching you, making sure that you’re ok, that no one is being mean to you, but that again is something I am going to have to relent upon when the school days do swing around. For now though I love the days we get to spend in the park while the sun is shining and everyone else is at work or school. Those days are my favourite kind of days, so simple and special all at the same time.

We even took you on your very first camping experience! Ok so it was only in the back garden, and only because Granddad invested in a shiny new tent and couldn't wait to practice putting it up! We very quickly decided to seize the opportunity and make the most of the tent while it was there, we thought it would be a super time to see how you got on with camping, and of course you couldn't have been more excited about the opportunity! We kitted the tent out with your cot mattress and brought out an abundance of blankets so that we would all be toasty during the night. You and I Leo donned layers upon layers, you in PJ's and a Onesie and me in two Onesies! We did look a sight in our Christmas onesies!

We had a camp fire in the garden where you roasted your very first marshmallows with Daddy and then you were more than ready to go to sleep. You went straight off and slept until morning, so excited with your new experience and I know that it won't be long before you want to camp again! But let my back get back to normal first please!

Time isn’t slowing down little boy, and in 2 months’ time you will be turning 4. My head is a mash of all things Mario at the moment, because that is now your theme of choice. For a while you were set on Thomas. Now however…It’s all things Mario! I don’t know how I am going to pull this one off yet, but somehow, someway I’ll make it happen.

Until next month little man…

These Autumn Days

The leaves that were only a vibrant Green a few short weeks ago, have mellowed and crisped taking on their golden coluring for Autumn. Slowly the golden leaves have relinquished their hold on the tree and floated down to the woodland below. 

Autumn has rolled around again.

Leo loves any excuse to get out and about, and now he is at the perfect age to do just that. I walked him down to the local nature reserve today, a place I used to play as a child. I would be running around there in my welly's rain or shine, and as the reserve backs on to my parents house, I was given the freedom that any young child desires.

My time was spent building dens up high in trees, or among the clearing of a bush and even now those memories are clear in my mind. Once upon a time I was a ample tree climber, a tom boy through and through. On occasion I had to be hosed down with a hose pipe in the middle of winter due to falling in a few mud baths on my adventures... I re-call a less than impressed Mother not letting me come back into the house until every shred of mud had been washed away.

Suffice to say it was a little cold...

With Leo proudly sporting his wellington boots we opened up the garden gate and peered into the now overgrown nature reserve. The paths I had once walked were grown over with relentless nettles and the entire space I had once known like the back of my hand looked like a completely different world. Leo walked around triumphantly, and gladly let me pick him up and run down that rather steep hill that I had once done with ease. Today I was a little skeptical as to whether it was a good idea or not, but luckily even in wedge boots I managed to pull it off.

Leo saw no fear at all and giggled the whole way down, the bumpier the better.

Leo proudly held my hand as we walked around the nature reserve, and smiled as he found that Autumn had not yet diminished all of the Blackberries. Stealthily Leo took ample supplies from the Blackberry bush, and streaked the berries around his lips leaving that dark mustache as a tell tale sign that he had been munching them. His main mission after this was to hunt down the remaining Blackberries that were hanging around the place.

Although the old pond where I used to catch Newts and Tadpoles has long since dried up and grown over, some of the trees I used to climb have got old and blown over in the wind, there are still some land marks of my childhood around the place. A tree I occasionally used to climb is still standing tall, and as I showed my curious 2 year old, he seemed incredibly excited to have a climb for himself. He tried his darnedest but admittedly did take a few tumbles, but he got into the crook he had aimed for eventually. 

A very triumphant moment for him and a very proud Mummy moment for me!

Feeling a little bit of my childhood returning to me, in my wedge heels I climbed up past Leo balancing my iPhone in the sides of my jeggings, and hanging my big camera on a branch...All the while willing myself not to fall. When I perched myself a few branches higher than Leo, he wanted me to lift him up with me... I took this as my time to act my age and not my shoe size and climbed back down to his level.

I forsee future tree climbing experiences in our future...

After our very lovely stroll around the Autumn woodland, my mind pondered how we were going to get back up the hill again. The slippy, muddy hill that may prove a little difficult if Leo decided he wished for me to carry him. But my little champ climbed all the way back up with complete ease.

What a superstar!

Here is Leo's Autumn Adventure in the woods.
The very first of many..

  

Proud

Through all of Leo’s mischievousness ways, his cheeky smiles and his dirty laugh, I find myself staring at him.

Captivated and proud. Very, very proud.

Even 17 months later I have to pinch myself, just to remind myself that he is real and I played my part in bringing him into this world. I have helped teach him life lessons and to sit, crawl and walk, I have been there on many a sleepless night... but through it all I am just incredibly, inexplicably proud.

I am proud of every milestone and achievement that Leo makes, even when it means I have to keep putting the same load of washing on three times in one day, all because the little tinker has turned it off three separate times.

I am proud of the smiles he beams at me and the way he takes in everything around him, he really does not let anything get past him these days.

Watching him become more and more independent with each passing day fills me with wonder, wonder of what tomorrow brings and what he may discover. 

I casually asked Leo today to bring me a nappy so that I could change him for the umpteenth time. And off he went into the cupboard under the stairs and brought out the pack of nappy's for me. When I asked him I did not think for one moment that he would actually do it, but he did.

Leo surprises me everyday in one way or another, and with each passing day I become the proudest Mummy in the world, because to me he is perfect. It doesn't matter how many temper tantrums he has or how he throws all of his clothes out of his wardrobe, to me he is my world and all of these moments just make the journey more exciting.

Autumn Adventures

The leaves are starting to change their colour from luscious Green to a golden haze; some are now relinquishing their hold on the tree and floating down to the ground. A sure sign that the seasons are changing and autumn is officially here.

I was driving home from work the other day and there were children playing with conkers and I was reminded of all those autumn adventures from my childhood.

I have always been lucky and lived in areas full of space to run around. Our house currently backs on to a nature reserve full of wildlife and trees to climb. In my younger days I used to spend every waking hour down there kitted out in pretty dresses I swore blind I would keep clean and wellington boots, much to my Mother’s dismay…

I really was a sight for sore eyes.

I loved the great outdoors and I made it my personal mission to collect as many conkers as possible. My brother and I gathered them by the bucket load, not for any particular reason other than just because we could.

There were times I think my Mum wondered if I would ever outgrow my tomboyish ways, especially when I came home one day completely covered in mud. It was just after she had put me in a dress and specifically told me ‘do not get dirty’. I guess I may have taken that as a guideline as to how dirty I could really get, and when I got stuck in the biggest, stickiest mud I could find, lost my wellington boot and was given a little push by the local joker, I went head over heels.

Walking home with my feet squelching in my socks, I knew I was in big trouble. It was November and it was not the warmest day around in the area of Yorkshire we were then living. I was not expecting my Mum to deny my entry into the house though, but that is what happened. She grabbed the hose pipe and began to wash away the sticky mud.

I was filthy and she was not inviting all of that mud inside!

When we first moved into the house we now occupy, our next door neighbours actually thought they had a family of gypsies moving in next door, and they meant us. This was all thanks to my brother and me, running about on the mud where the lawn was yet to be laid, completely filthy despite our parent’s greatest efforts.

It really was a losing battle for them. We were absolutely determined to just get as filthy as humanly possible.

Luckily… Somewhere along the path of growing up I did outgrow my tomboyish ways, and I even bought an alternative pair of shoes to the wellies I used to wear day in, day out. Now though, I know it won’t be long before I am trying to keep up with Leo and his autumn adventures. Trying to keep his clothes as mud free as possible and letting him know of the situations that may come around. There will be many occasions where he will get his feet stuck in a big puddle of mud, and if he pulls too hard then he may just loose a boot!

This again is life experience talking…

I cannot wait to collect some conkers with Leo and show him the joy of making a great old pile of them, of course now I am the responsible adult, I will have to make sure we get rid of them before they begin to decompose…

I have to admit that I am very excited at the prospect of pulling the wellington boots out of retirement and taking Leo on an autumn walk. I am excited to show him all of the things I used to get up to as a child, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Granny will be telling Leo and I ‘not to get dirty’ and the hose pipe experience form my past may just become Leo’s future…

Wait until I show Leo the marvellous way to make mud pies!

Recipe to follow…

Full Circle - A Pregnancy Story

This time last year I fell pregnant. My life was about to change for ever, and at this point a year ago I had no idea what changes were about to take place.

I became aware of these life changing transitions on November 4th 2010 - schocked is an under-statement, but I knew that I was going to rise to the occasion and bring a baby into the world.

So this is where my journey began and I cannot believe a year has past already.....What a difference a year makes! I would like to walk you through my 9 months of pregnancy and document these changes, and discuss some highs, and even lows!

So here we go......my very early pregnancy shot! After finding out very early on I wanted to take photos of my tummy so I could see my baby growing, and also reflect back upon the changes my body went through.

I was extremely lucky, I had no morning sickness and pretty much sailed through my 9 months of pregnancy. I kept my pregnancy on the low from everyone but my other half....but Mum's have an amazing intuition.....I was outed days after I had found out.....by my Mum! The extreme tierdness I had been experiencing shone through and the jig was up!

I had wanted to keep it quiet until I had my scan, so I could announce that I was pregnant and the baby was cooking just as he should....I say he.....as right from day one I was so sure that I was having a boy.

At what should have been my 12 Week Scan, which I was booked in for early on December 3rd 2010, I was put back a week, to 9 weeks gestation and given the due date of July 4th 2011. I had worked it out for the 27th June with my GP on my booking in appointment.

At 9 Weeks my little bean was wriggling about...It was fascinating to watch him darting around on the screen but I could feel nothing. He was so small...

My baby was growing just perfectly, and there were no concerns...I then realised that I now had to tell the world that I was going to become a Mum! This thought was daunting and I was terrified about telling everyone my amazing news....especially my work!

I took the time to tell my family the night after my scan, but I decided to wait until I was 12 weeks gone before I told work, I needed to make sure that I was out of the woods before I made my pregnancy common knowledge. I informed work on Christmas Eve, after making a special effort to go in as I had been signed off work with the Flu!

I had worked myself up for the conversation and in hind sight, I can't for the life of me understand why!? The conversation went with no hiccups, raised voices or judgemental opinions. Work now knew that at some point in the summer of 2011....I was going to become a MUM!

I agreed with work that I would work right up until the 1st of July 2011 - I was due to have my baby on July 4th! Which gave me the weekend...If Leo came on his due date. I carried on as normal at work and worked hard so that they could see I did not need to go on Maternity leave until very late on. I did not want to sit around waiting for bubs to make an appearance. I needed to keep busy!

My baby grew and grew each week, with my expanding tummy growing to accomadate all of his needs, at my 16 Week Midwife appointment I first heard the whooshing of his heartbeat. A magical sound that I managed to capture on a recording during my pregnancy.

My 20 week scan had been booked in for the 14th February 2011 - Valentines Day. I was so excited to be finding out what the flavour of my baby was going to be! Was 'Bean' Pink? Or Blue? I did not have to wait long to find out! My other half did not want to know the sex, so we had come to the arrangement that I would find out and keep it hush hush! Of course this was never going to work and this deal didn't even last a minute! As soon as a midwife whispered 'It's a boy' into my ear, I shouted 'I knew it!'

I had kept it no secret that I thought I was carrying a baby boy....So with my reaction shouted pretty loudly, the gender of our baby had been discovered! The scan was amazing, all the checks were done and our baby boy was growing just as he should. The scan picture we were given was amazing and so very clear.

At 20 Weeks I had not felt any movement, this was due to having an anterior placenta. This means the placenta is right on the front, cushioning movement that may have been occuring. I did not get proper movement until around week 25, and this quickly went from soft kicks to really hard jabs in the ribs!

The feeling of a baby moving inside you, is so difficult to describe but it is an amazing feeling....knowing that you have this little person...a little life just growing and growing inside of you.

Back in December I had booked in a 3D scan for the 2nd of April 2011, at 26 Weeks - at the time this felt like an eternity away. It quickly came around and my other half and I took a day trip over to Birmingham to see our baby boy for one last time before his birthday.

3D Scans are amazing technology and it is a very personal experience, seeing your unborn baby's face in such detail is a real must and I cannot recomend it any higher than I do. I am lucky enough to have many photos of Leo in the womb and also the whole scan on DVD, to go back and watch at any time I want. This is something that will amaze Leo in years to come....he can look back in on himself while he was in my tummy. To me this is just brilliant, and it is something I look forward to sharing with him.

He had grown so much in just 6 weeks and to think how far we had come since the first scan back in December...the changes were immense! Leo looked like a little angel sleeping. He was sleeping with his hands up by his head and for the majority of the time had them strategically placed accross his face obsructing our view in! I had to do lots of shifting around in order to try and move his hands so we could get a good look!

Leo was not playing ball, so his hands are up by his head in every image! He still sleeps like that to this day....

This was my last glimpse of Leo until he was born. I had lots to keep me busy what with work and making sure I had everything ready for Leo's arrival! I never slowed down, I was constantly on the move, and I didn't want to slow down either....

At the end of May for the bank holiday weekend, a big family holiday was organised. I was 35 weeks pregnant at this point. My family are big walkers so I knew that we would be doing a substantial amount. We ended up doing the Clifton Gorge walk! It was up and down steep slippy rocks....right next to the river, you really had to be on your toes! Everyone was worrying that all the dips and dives may cause my waters to break! I kept at it....all be it I was completely 'K'O'd' by the end of it.... but I completed the walk 35 weeks pregnant! I have to admit, I was extremely proud of myself for pushing forward and not letting my current whale like appaerance slow me down.

So now we are weeks away from the arrival of my little bean...who by now is not so little any more! I am feeling heavy, tired and I just want to get finished at work so I can enjoy a bit of time off before the immanent arrival of bubs. After returning from Devon I was due to start my antenatal classes, they were a lot of fun and I met other expectant Mum's who were due around the same time as myself.

These classes ran right up until Friday 24th June 2011. I finished my last session and went back to work for the afternoon. After I finished for the day....I did not know it at the time but I had finished for maternity leave! I was then in the early stages of labour and did not even know it. Leo was then born on Monday June 27th 2011 at 39 weeks gestation - for a more detailed account, please see My Birth Story.

It was a whirlwind 9 months and as much as pregnancy is an amazing thing, I am happy to have my body back, happy that Leo is here and healthy and very much enjoying his life! 

So this brings me back to a close of.....where I was this time last year. I have grown in so many ways and even become a Mummy. I hate how fast time is going by. I hate that very soon I am going to be back at my 9-5. I just want to make the most of my time with my son.

 This time last year....my adventure was just beginning......and as Leo grows older, my adventure is just getting more exciting!