In The Night Garden Live - The Pinky Ponk Show Review

Having such a big In The Night Garden fan within my midst, there has been a very BIG date on our calendar for the last couple of months.

July 25th 2013.

In The Night Garden Live!

In The Night Garden Live is exactly what you may think, your little one's favourite television programme brought to life right before their eyes. There are two different live shows to take your pick from.

- The Pinky Ponk Show

- The Ninky Nonk Show

Leo and I invited along some very close friends of ours to share this amazing experience with us. Leo's best friend and her adorable 6 month old baby sister. We were all really excited and started looking into the options available to make the day as magical as possible.

I had a look into what each of the shows were about and eventually decided to go with the Pinky Ponk Show. I made this decision based on how Macca Pacca played a big part in the runnings of the show, as it is no secret that Leo absolutely loves Macca Pacca.

We were booked into standard seating and decided to add some extra goodies into our In The Night Garden Live experience, so I decided to pre-book 2 goodie bags at the special rate of £20.00 each due to booking before the show (£25.00 on the day). I then decided to book in the toddlers to meet Iggle Piggle after the show just to keep that magic alive for them that little bit longer.

We had been talking about our immanent trip to the Night Garden for weeks, and it was only the other night that I discovered the Show Dome in all of it's glory. You see when you visit the show you are not in a standard theater...Oh no! You are welcomed into the inflatable dome that is fully equipped with everything you could imagine. 

- A very generous amount of space. Plenty of room to park your pushchairs!

- Baby changing facilities and plenty of loo's for you!

- Big fans to keep you cool on warm day (it was still pretty warm)

- Heaters to keep you warm on colder days

- Plenty of In The Night Garden merchandise 

We attended the showing at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, and having never been to this park before I was instantly impressed on the setting surrounding the Show Dome. There is plenty of space for the kids to run around before the show, and some lovely play equipment for them to really expand some energy.

We were running late after our picnic and actually walked in just after it had started, I have to admit I had been worried about not getting a very good seat but even if you are seated right at the back like we were, you have a perfect view. The seating is staggered as it goes up so that you can see straight over the heads of those seated in front of you, and in all honesty I think we ended up with some pretty good seats because we could see everything sitting at the very top, and those in the priority seating may have struggled some what as they were so close to the stage. I also have a sneaky feeling that if we had been sat as close to the stage as those at the very front... I would have had a very red face as I apolagised to Macca Pacca when Leo decides to run wild all over the stage....  

As we walked in just after the show had kicked off, Macca Pacca was already on centre stage. Leo walked up the steps and instantly spotted his hero. He stopped right in his tracks. Then he sat down right in the middle of the steps blocking everyone coming up behind him. 

The magic had begun.

I picked Leo up and took him up to sit down, Leo and his little friend were instantly engrossed in their favourite show coming to life right before them. Leo just kept telling me 'Macca Pacca' and hung on tight to the brouchure he had been given on arrival. 

The toddlers clapped when every act finished, they clapped with all that they could muster.  

As a parent taking a toddler I have to say that I was over the moon with the entire performance. So much attention has gone into all of it. From the stage, the set to the projections onto the dome walls. There is something bright and magical happening in every direction. The characters voices are in the background so you can work out who is coming along to say hello next, it made our two toddlers look all around them, just in case they were behind them. 

I loved how the sizes of the characters had been taken into consideration, the Pontipines made an appearance and true to life they were the smallest characters on stage. Macca Pacca is full sized in some sets where as in others where he is with Iggle Piggle or Uppsy Daisy he is a puppet, very cleverly brought to life by on stage actors. 

The show followed Macca Pacca as he went about cleaning all of the most popular characters faces, of course this called for bubbles. Macca Pacca makes a lot of bubbles when he is giving everyone a good wash, and it was a lovely surprise for all of us when bubbles flew out at the audience. 

The performance followed a typical episode and even had the birds tweeting and the story re-cap towards the end. I liked this as it gave the kid's a sense of where they were in the show and knew when it was nearing the end. 

When the show did come to an end though, Leo demanded 'more'. So I am guessing that he is going to love watching this short clip back over and over again. If you are planning on going, hopefully this short clip will give you an idea of what to expect.

The whole day is absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend booking a meeting with one of the characters. For us this just rounded up a super duper day and I know that it was really appreciated by our toddlers. 

If you pre-book then you can take a seat and let the little one's do some colouring while you await your name to be called out.  While we were waiting Leo did manage to run at the lady holding all of the helium balloons, just so that he could give the balloons a wobble! The poor lady looked a little shocked... You can always count on my boy to let you know you have him!

Leo also decided at this point to run away from me. He literally upped and left the show dome. I ended up chasing after him all the way down the path until I retrieved him, only to find I had missed our names being called on multiple occasions! Luckily they let us straight in to meet Mr Iggle Piggle!

We were invited into a curtained room where we received a one on one experience, the £15 ticket is for 2 adults and 2 children and I found it really personal for Leo and his little friend. 

Leo was a little bit nervous at first and started to walk backwards out of the room, I vaguely re-call a few 'No, No No's' being shouted....But as soon as we were behind that curtain and on our own with the big man in Blue himself, he relaxed and got caught up in the magic once again.

We were with Iggle Piggle for a good 5 minutes or so, where we got the chance to have our photos taken and even just stare at him. Even us Mummy's posed for a photo or two! It is not everyday you meet Iggle Piggle after all...

With an amazing day behind us and many new memories made we left feeling really pleased with our experence, the experience we had given to our toddlers. Toddlers who had quite obviously had the most amazing day ever!

Within 10 minutes of being in the car, all 3 kids were spark out and dreaming dreams of the Night Garden. Both with new plush toys of their favourite characters. One Macca Pacca and one Uppsy Daisy. Both with goodie bags full of treats for their magical day. Both with fond memories of their magical heroes. 

In The Night Garden Live is not the cheapest family day out, for the 5 of us to go it would have cost us £90.00 for our standard seating, and then of course we opted for goodie bags and a character meeting which would have brought our total to £145.00. 

I do highly recommend a visit if you have little ones who enjoy In The Night Garden aged 2+, but I do think the prices are expensive. A child costs exactly the same as an adult does, and you even have to pay for a baby in arms. They do offer a discount for a baby under 6 months but that is still £10 for a baby who won't even remember being in attendance (that goes for a newborn baby too!) I do think that a baby should be free maybe upto a year...But that is just my personal opinion and may be the make or break decision if you are thinking of going along. 

The prices aside though, the real reason you are going is to show your little one the magic on stage and it is surely an experience that will bring out lot's of smiles, excited giggles and a whole host of memories that will live on for a long time. My little man has gone to bed tonight with both of his Macca Pacca dolls either side of his head and I am sure he is dreaming up sweet dreams of his magical day.

Pip Pip Onk Onk!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) to visit In The Night Garden Live and share my experience with you. We paid for the baby in arms to come along and also our goodie bags and character experience. All views are completely honest and my own. 

The Jakayaan Balance Bike Review & Giveaway

I am sat here watching my little man.

My little man who has suddenly become a very grown up two year old.

A little boy who now whizzes circles around me on his very first bike.

Wow!

Just look at him go…

This is the Lloyds Worcester Jakayaan Balance Bike, and it is the perfect first bike for toddlers aged 2 and up. This bike is extra special as Lloyds Worcester are actually a local company for me. They are a small family run business based in Worcestershire and their main aim is to provide top quality products at realistic prices.

The Jakayan Balance Bike is constructed out of solid Birch Plywood which gives the structure of the bike a lovely solid feel, but at the same time keeps it light enough for a toddler to maneuver and handle all by himself.   

Leo has been completely smitten with his new bike since it’s arrival just over a month ago, he has taken every single opportunity to get outside and go up and down Granny’s long winding drive. Over the weeks I have seen how Leo handles the bike improve dramatically, and now he is exceptionally confident in getting on and off, turning the bike around at the top and bottom of the drive and is even picking up a bit of speed on the small slope!

Max at Lloyds Worcester Ltd has very kindly sent the Jakayaan Balance Bike over for Leo to try out, he even put it together for us and personally dropped it off so that it was all ready for Leo to find when we got back to Granny’s. As I personally haven’t put it together I cannot tell you exactly how long it takes to assemble or whether it is a complicated process, but the end result is sure to get the same level of hype from your little ones as it did from Leo.

If you do struggle putting it together or just want to see how it is done, Lloyds Worcester do have a great guide on how to get it up and running. Having watched the video on how to assemble the bike I can see that it is very straightforward, and it won't be long before your little one is whizzing circles around you too. 

As soon as Leo saw his new set of wheels he was up and gone. On that first evening we were outside over an hour as he rode up and down the drive. Leo sat on the seat walking the bike along, he looked so incredibly proud of himself while he followed his young Auntie along on her electric scooter.

I think this is one of the reasons that the Jakayaan Balance Bike has been such a big hit with Leo, he can get out and play with the big kids. He can try his luck in keeping up with them, and when he is on it everyone watches him…Boy does my little guy love an audience.

In recent weeks Leo has become so much more confident in how he rides his bike, I have noticed him picking up more speed as he pushes himself around. Leo can push himself up the bump on the drive and even back down again (he loves the speed he picks up as he goes).

The bike doesn't have pedals or brakes and it is for this reason that it is perfect for younger children, Leo uses his feet to start moving and also stop. He has had no issues at all in getting used to riding his bike, and I think it is such a great way for him to learn all about balancing himself as he learns to ride a bike.

The fact that the balance bike has no pedals makes it perfect for Leo who is just learning how to get around on it. I don’t have to worry about Leo getting any clothes caught up in a bike chain and he doesn't have to worry about learning to pedal just yet. The Jakayaan bike is giving Leo a chance to find his feet and his balance, in the not so distant future I can see Leo zooming down the drive with his feet firmly off the ground as he balances the bike to go exactly where he wants.

In fleeting moments where Leo has got off the bike, I have stolen the chance to have a proper look at the Jakayaan Balance Bike for myself. The pneumatic wheels that support the bike are great over bumps and slopes…As Leo has discovered. 

The handles are covered in foam for those ‘accidental falls’ that take place every once in a while when he loses his balance and tilts one way or another. The handle bar has been designed so that there is a limited amount of steering, this prevents Leo from turning the front wheel to far around and coming off. The front forks of the bike have been angled in such a way that it helps the bike (and the rider) to keep going straight, Leo turns the bike himself by standing up and turning the bike in the direction he wishes to go, before sitting back down and jetting off again.

The Jakayaan logo is hot stamped onto the side of the bike, and looks far more swanky than any sticker ever would. The logo is not going to become tatty over time, and the whole bike still looks as shiny as the day it first arrived, and it has certainly been put through it's paces over the last month. One day when Leo has outgrown this bike, I will be putting it safely away for any future children I go on to have. It is one of those classic toys that can be passed down through the generations and can be enjoyed time and time again.

I have often raved about my love for solid wooden toys that stand the test of time, and this bike is one of those toys. 

There is a choice of two seat covers in the box, one Pink and one Blue each embroided with the Jakayaan motif. The seat cover choice is great if you are buying the balance bike as a joint present for a brother and sister, that way there really is no arguing over the colour preference. I know this is something that my brother and I could have done with back in the day... Leo is currently sporting the Blue cover but if he does fancy a bit of a change, the Pink one is always on hand to do so.

The seat of the bike can be adjusted to suit your child very simply and this is is again shown in the assembly video. There are four levels to use so that you can get the very most out of your Jakayaan Bike.

- 32 cm

- 35  cm

- 37.5 cm

- 40 cm

 I can see that this balance bike is going to last Leo a long time and will see him through until he is ready for a bigger bike with pedals and brakes! The balance bike will be helping Leo in preparation for the next stage of bike and is going to really help the transition in ‘learning to ride a bike’, who knows he may even skip the stabilisers stage if he nails his balance on his Jakayaan!

So how much does a Jakayaan Balance Bike cost? Now this may surprise you. Are you sitting down? 

The Jakayaan Balance Bike costs just £52.99. 

That is a whole lot of bike for your money! 

The quality and detail that has gone into this very popular bike makes it worth every single penny. I would highly recommend this bike for any of you with second birthday presents to buy soon as Leo was absolutely over the moon to see this bike. 

The price of £52.99 is inclusive of delivery to mainland United Kingdom (excludes Scottish Highlands and islands), but for those of you further afield who are interested in a Jakayaan balance Bike you can visit the website Jakayaan website.

You can keep up to date with all that is Jakayaan over on their Twitter Page and of course their Facebook Page. Make sure you say hello as they are such a lovely team and always happy to answer any of your questions. 

Of course if you have any questions about the balance bike, I am more than happy to try and answer them for you.

I will leave you with a short video of Leo enjoying his time on the bike, there are snippets from the very first day right through to now. You can see how he has come along, how his confidence levels have risen and just how much fun he has been having!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

How would you like the chance to win a Jakayaan Balance Bike of your very own? I have one to give away to one very lucky reader. All you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter entry methods below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends on the 17th August 2013 and is open to the whole of UK Mainland.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I was provided with the Lloyds Worcester Jakayaan Balance Bike for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own personal experiences with this bike and all photos/videos are my own.

A Sunny Evening In The Garden

With Summer finally here we have been making the most of the sunny days and the long evenings.

Tonight has been spent like most other nights.

Spending time in the great outdoors with the sun still beaming down on us at 7pm.

Late for bathtime.

Late for bedtime.

Only tonight I had the camera with me to snap some of the excitement.

Leo and Tigger chasing each other around.

The laughter as Leo dangles long grass for Tig to paw.

Leo following Tig in and out of the playhouse, 

Tig pouncing on Leo as he enters the play tunnel.

More laughter.

The moment Leo decided to run down the slide instead of slide...

Then of course climbing back up again despite being told not to...again.

The cat playing in the dirt.

Leo following the cat into the flower bed.

Leo standing on top of the slide to have a little chat with the little boy next door.

Telling him all about his cat.

All about Tigger's meow.

Stolen moments outside, when really the toddler should have been tucked up fast asleep in bed.

Stolen moments that were so worth the price of delaying the mundane bedtime routine.

That can wait for another night.

Pampers #babyblanket

Pampers is encouraging the nation to celebrate the birth of the royal baby by sharing their good wishes and support via Twitter #babyblanket and http://www.pampers.co.uk/babyblanket over the next two weeks.

Pampers will be knitting these messages of support into a baby blanket for the new parents, and are hoping to create the world’s largest baby blanket composed of best wishes. For every message sent to the blanket, Pampers will be donating a nappy to family support charity Home-Start UK (aiming to reach a quarter of a million nappies). 

You can keep up to date with how Pampers is getting on with their record-breaking attempt by viewing a live stream at http://www.pampers.co.uk/babyblanket. The blanket will also be being knitted live at Westfield Shopping Centre (Shepherd’s Bush) between 18 - 21 July, and then will be unveiled later this month at a location to-be-confirmed!  Once the blanket has been completed, Pampers will be donating framed sections of the blanket to a number of children’s hospitals across the UK.

If there is one thing I wish someone had said to me on the run up to giving birth, it would be 'Don't stress' because every pregnancy, ever labor is different. No two are ever the same and someone else's bad experience will not become yours. Try and enjoy the moment because it is the start of the rest of your life.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

The Tommee Tippee Video, Movement & Sound Monitor Review

Baby Monitors are an essential piece of equipment.

I am sure we have all given the range available to us a lot of thought before we have decided on 'the one' that we want to help us safeguard our sleeping babies. I know that I certainly did back in 2011 when I was in the market for a monitor. I took into account a number of factors and even read other peoples reviews on them. 

Did I want a video monitor? For a while yes I did, but then I talked myself out of it as I had images of just siting there watching my sleeping newborn. In the end I ended up with a movement and sound monitor but always lusted after the video monitor I let slip me by.

I was sent the Tommee Tippee Video Movement & Sound Monitor to review, and couldn't wait to make the transition from audio to video. I was intrigued to see exactly what my little guy gets up to when he is left to his own devices.

The monitor is really easy to set up and once up and running provides crystal clear sound. You can hear absolutely everything, from the moment your little munchkin decides to awaken your cosy slumber with the wails and screams for ‘Mumma’ and ‘Dada’. Or even the happy giggles when they wake up in that absolutely glowing mood.

But not only can you hear them. You can see them.

The video monitor is amazing. I am not going to beat around the bush, I really rate it. When we received the monitor we were having some trouble with Leo's sleep. I found the monitor in-valuable at this time as it let me see absolutely everything that Leo was doing. I could see Leo standing up in his cot and I could hear him screaming so i knew straight off that sleep was certainly not immanent. 

That night Leo screamed for 1 hour and 45 minutes. He stood up screaming at me for what felt like forever. I wondered if he would give in and go to sleep as we hadn't had to practice controlled crying for a very long time.  Eventually he sat down in his cot, and then lay down before he fell asleep and slept all night long.

I was going into Leo and soothing him and then retreating back to the washing up, I felt more confident knowing that I could glance at the monitor to see how he was doing. I could see the progress he was making and when he FINALLY went off to sleep, I was really proud of myself and my video monitor.

I have put together a short video that shows the monitor in use, it shows you just how great the night vision camera is and also how loud my toddler can scream when he wants to. It takes you through the motions of my night the evening he cried for 1 hour and 45 whole minutes, but don't fret it has been edited and is by no means that long! 

You will also see the talk back function as my little man tells me he wants 'more' meaning he wants his milk bottle topped up...and finally you will see the kitten jumping around in Leo's bed, solving the mystery of Leo's laughing after the lights go out.

The Tommee Tippee Digital Video Movement & Sound Monitor comes with a pad. The Pad is installed under the cot mattress and is designed to detect your baby’s movements within the cot. If there is no movement for 20 seconds an alarm is sounded to alert you to a potential problem, meaning you can get in there pronto.

I have found the sound clarity absolutely brilliant with this monitor (along with the video), I can put Leo to bed and come back downstairs to hear him chatting away to himself before he succumbs to his sleep. You can alter the sensitivity depending on what you want to hear, if you don’t want to hear absolutely everything in the room you can simply turn down how sensitive the monitor is to sound, or if you are like me and want to hear everything that is going on you can put it on the maximum setting.

I have had absolutely no problems with reception, and throughout the whole house I have full signal thanks to the 300mm range. 

When Leo wakes up from his nap it is lovely to be able to re-assure him before I get up the stairs to him. making use of the two way talk back. My old monitor didn't have this feature and it has done wonders in keeping Leo calm. We have had our up's and down's with Leo's sleep and just being able to settle him without having to physically go into his room has been super.

Admittedly we have had a few false alarms with the movement pad, it has gone off in the middle of the night and woken us all up, Leo included as the alarm sounds in the baby’s room as well as on the parent listening device. 

I can't quite fathom why it has gone off sometimes, granted Leo does move around the cot a lot and for the most part has been completely off the mat before it has sounded. On a couple of occasions though he has been right on the mat and it has gone off for seemingly no reason. I do need to have a proper look at the settings to see what is going wrong here.

That said though, I would much rather have a false alarm than the alternative, and it is safe to say that when the alarm does go off, it WILL wake you up and get you in there. Each time it has gone off I have been up and out of bed before I have even opened my eyes.

Another time you will hear the alarm is if you neglect to turn the monitor off before you pick baby up out of the cot, you do soon learn to switch it off before you take him out, after you have been caught jumping out of your skin once or twice when you have forgotten to do so.

We have actually taken the mat off Leo's cot now that he is two whole years old, but I think it is a great idea and something that definitely provided me with the reassurance I needed in those early months. If and when I do have another baby I will certainly be re-using this.

The nursery unit has a night light which omits a calming glow into the room, it doesn't shed much light but is enough for you too see the monitor and not disturb the sleeping child. The nursery unit gauges the temperature in the room and displays it on the parenting device unit. I have found this feature really helpful in keeping Leo the right temperature. I always worry whether he is too hot or too cold, so it is nice to be able to glance at the unit and know for sure.

I have found this bit of kit really easy to work and fit into our lifestyle, besides the false alarms we experienced I think the monitor is really great. I will never be able to go back to a audio monitor again as I have found it so incredibly useful. I love being able to keep an eye on Leo when I physically can't be in the room with him.

I do highly recommend this baby monitor and you can currently pick it up for £126.00 on Amazon at the point of writing this review. 

Disclaimer: I was sent the Tommee Tippee Digital Video, Movement & Sound Monitor for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are my own and have come from my personal experience with this product.

Now That You Are 2...

Now you are two you seem so much bigger.

Surprising me each day with new words that you hear.

Just today you said 'Yes please' for the very first time,

right after I said it to the lady in the post office.

I had to double take to make sure I had heard you correctly, 

but you said it clear as day. 

Even the post office lady agreed.

You still need at least one nap a day,

and on some days we can still squeeze in a morning nap 

as well as one in the afternoon.

On days like today where we don't fit in any, 

you become the grumpiest toddler in the world.

You demand milk and blankie and refuse to eat your dinner. 

Your latest party trick is headbutting objects, 

tables, chairs or whatever you think may grab my attention.

You will soon work out beautiful boy that this will continue to hurt your head,

but that blank look I give you when I do glance over will not be the attention you crave.

Since you turned two your temper tantrums have indeed been spiking on the terrible two richter scale,

but through the head banging, the tears and the ear piercing shrieks, I will always stand you back up on your own two feet again.

Now you are two you are telling me more so what you want, and exactly what you do not want.

We seem to cross wires when you tell me you want Macca Pacca and really want Mike the Knight. 

You are biting holes in your milk bottle teats again... 

Then complaining that the milk isn't flowing as you would like.

Little man we really wont be buying any new teats now that you are two...

My advice is stop chewing them as once they are gone...They really are gone this time.

You are experiencing your first proper summer, 

getting the chance to play in the paddling pool and relax under the sizzling sun.

You are discovering ice lollies and water slides, 

and hating when Mummy slathers you in sun cream. 

Each new day is a new adventure, and you were so excited when Tigger joined you outside for the very first time today.

Tigger chased you, you chased Tigger.

in and out of your pop up play house, 

around the garden until Tig disappeared into the confinement of the bush.

Since you turned two you have tuned in more to the way your body works,

if your enjoying some nappy free time you tell me when you need a wee.

You say 'Mumma' and look down between your legs, 

and I ask you pronto if you need a nappy on, 

because I know you will refuse the potty or accidently pee on the floor.

You tell me 'Yes' that you do need a nappy, and then lie down on the floor

as good as gold for me to put it on.

The next step is trying to convice you about the potty, 

but you are doing so well with knowing when you need to go.

One small step at a time...

Since you turned two Leo you have taken to calling out the anatomy of Mummy.

Just the other day in the middle of a supermarket you grabbed my top and shouted at the top 

of your voice 'BALLS'.

I have to thank you very much for going around the supermarket 

grabbing handfulls of 'BALLS'.

I am sure you made the day of the other shoppers!

A Boy's Best Friend

We are just over a month in since Tigger, our Bengal Kitten moved in.

We have had 5 weeks together, getting to know each other. 

All the while we have been keeping a watchful eye on the toddler...

and the kitten.

Trying to work out how they will get along, 

how they will behave towards one another.

Leo spent the first couple of weeks completely over the moon excited, 

excited that a CAT was living in his home.

The excitement was expressed in many ways, chasing poor Tigger around as he darted here and there, playing with the kitten toys as Tig's jumped high into the air, and then there's even the excitement on Tigger's behalf as he chased Leo around the house.

One thing has become immediately apparent in these 5 weeks,

and that is that both Leo and Tigger are BIG TROUBLE.

Tigger follows Leo around like a shadow, getting involved with all of Leo's games. 

Leo follows Tigger around and try's to crawl along the back of the sofa, climb onto his wooden play kitchen and even climb up the cat tree!

These two are going to be the very best of friends.

I put Leo to bed the other evening, tucked him in just like I always do. 

I then retreated downstairs with the baby monitor and began to do the evening chores.

Then... I heard laughter. Leo's laughter coming through the baby monitor, 

not the sounds of a sleeping baby that's for sure.

I wondered what on earth could be so funny?

Then I saw the answer to my question in the form of a pair of glowing eyes, 

gleaming at me on the infrared camera. 

Cat's eyes.

Tigger had managed to jump into Leo's cot and thus caused all of the infectious chuckles. 

He was jumping all around just making Leo chuckle that little bit more.

I worried that Leo may get scratched and thought I should retrieve him quickly.

But I stood there watching the baby monitor.

Eventually I retrieved him, Leo was so excited about the kitten's adventure in his room.

There had been no accidental scratches in all of the excitement. 

In fact Tigger seems to be incredible with Leo for the most part, 

it's just me and Luke that get the excited scratches.

In 5 weeks we have had one accidental scratch, and Leo didn't even cry.

He did however get his very first plaster as the scratch fell right where his sandals do up.

It hasn't all been plain sailing though. 

There have been moments that Leo has lost his temper and lashed out,

sometimes raising his foot as if he intended to kick poor Tig.

In each instance he has been told in no uncertain terms that it wasn't acceptable behavior.

I needn't have worried though, Tigger soon showed Leo how he wouldn't tolerate it.

Tigger wrapped himself around Leo's leg and showed him with his pointy teeth and needle type claws, exactly why you shouldn't take your temper out on a cat.

Of course Leo let out a little squeal and demanded his 'Mumma' be by his side. 

Tigger did it in such a way that there was no scratch, no awchie to kiss better. But it certainly left Leo with a lesson learned at the end of it.

For the most part Leo and Tigger get along like a house on fire. 

They follow each other's lead.

Leo pretends he is a kitten, and crawls around on the floor.

Leo laughs as Tig eats a fly and chases a spider, he laughs when his not so little kitten mis-judges a jump and takes a little tumble.

Leo has perfected his 'meow' so that he can join in the vocal sing song.

And most importantly he is enjoying the experience of having a family pet. 

He is bonding and learning how to behave with an animal. 

He is learning to love his furry friend and I can see them being the very best of friends as they continue their mischievous ways, together.