No Different From Any Other

See these 2 boys? They distract my mind to its fullest. I will sit and blog one day.. A day when I can and concentrate. I hope you are all well, wherever you may be in your lives.

Let's call a spade a spade here and admit I'm pretty crap with the whole blogging thing of late. Turns out there's a whole lotta things to do and although my mind wonders into blogging territory sometimes, something happens to pop it right back out again.. He's called Luca. Yes this little person arrived last August. Another August baby. Trust me there is no way my 2 children were planned to be born on the last month before term starts. Mother Nature has a lot to answer for. It's not a bad thing or course, I mean I'll save a fortune on birthday parties because everyone will be away and no one will come. However it does result in Agusut being an expensive month. His arrival was a lot easier than Oliver's. I recall telling the Husband that 1 in 10 women's waters break before labour and chances of my labour starting on my due date were slim to none. So, imagine my surprise when both occured. Yes, the waters popped in the small hours of his due date. My hallway carpet was greatful to see the shampoo shortly after. It all went well. I couldn't have the much planned and yearned for water birth thanks to the midwife on duty deeming me too much of a fatty but it matters not. Some sniffs of Gas and Air and he arrived after a very short established labour. A world away from Oliver's arrival 4 years prior. Now, one isn't easy. Two is bloody hard work and I will take back anything I may have said about the ease of caring for more than one child. Of course it's rewarding but Reflux, the awful time establishing feeding and his inability to sleep longer than 2 hourts at night makes it hard. Still, he's a healthy 6 month old and for that I am greatful.

Here we are in the summer of 2014. Can you believe it? I haven't blogged for 2 years. I won't be ashamed to say it has completely fallen off the radar to keep blogging. It's a cliche but having a child kind of occupoes the brain a bit more. Oliver is almost 4. That staggers me. His development also staggers me. His intelligence knows no bounds (of which I'd love to say he inherited from me, alas..) so he is your stereotypical 3-4 year old. Trains, cars, trains, Tom & Jerry, trains.... in that order. However our summer is about to be disrupted once again with the impending arrival of a brother for him. just over 2 years ago the Husband and I made a decision for me to come away from the contraceptive implant. It wasn't working for me and I'm not a fan of hormonal contraceptives given their effects on me so we left it.. not trying but not not trying.. another cliche I guess. Anyway, last Autumn I fell so here are, 36 weeks tomorrow and it has only just started to sink in how much our lives are going to change dramitcally, even more so than before. 2 children. 2! 2 boys no less. Please tell me 2 boys are a dream and it's all going to work out beautifully! I hope everyone is well.. I really must have a read and catch up with what's going on in your lives.

Apparently, April is the month for showers. A little rain never did anyone any harm but let me say that April in the South of England has been a complete washout. Those in the know declared us a drought area in March and if anyone was caught using excessive water come Summertime, they would be strung up by their entrails.. or similar such punishment. Now, my garden is practically ready to gather the pairs of animals and sail away to dryer pastures. In other news, The Husband and I have decided that we need to change a few things. We ave decided that we are ready to attempt TTC a sibling for Oliver. The boy is rapidly approaching 2 and we are feeling ready. I confess I struggled to understand how I would reach this point. The whole "How can I love another baby as much I love Oliver" argument spun around in my head for a long time but recently, we have discovered that we know we can do the above and that we want to be a family of 4 not 3. In order for this to happen we have decided to move house. This house is simply not big enough for another child. When advertised, it should read 2.5 bedrooms, not 3. We have been successful in our quest and this coming Weds we collect the keys to our new abode. Exciting times. The new digs are bigger. Victorian semi detached house with 3 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 80ft garden. It is a home typical of the era. It is beautiful and whilst it is in a busier area of town, it is perfect for us. Better still, a good friend whom I met through Breastfeeding group lives 2 doors away. It also happens to be a 5 minute walk from the coffee shop. So, the next few weeks shall be somewhat manic. I want to make the transition as easy as possible for Oliver. I'm happy to go in all guns blazing and get done but we need to face the fact that Oliver will be somewhat in the way. I have planned for him to attend Nursery next week and go to a friends also which will help Husband and I get time to pack with no distractons. Oh, and the W.eight Watchers plan is going well. 29lbs lost thus far. Thats is 1lb over 2 stone so I know it is a lot of weight. I certainly feel much better for it but here's the deal, I have 3 stone more to lose to reach my goal. Not sure if it is a realistic goal to be honest but I aim to shift as much of this fat as possible and see where I plateau long term. My BMI will be 26 if I reach goal. That will please the Doctor. As for Oliver, he is a star. He is still petite compared to others he socialises with but mentally he is steaming ahead. He can sign a few words to save his frustration. His eating has improved vastly, just this evening he wolfed down a Thai Green curry followed by steam spong pudding. The biggest news is that he is in a big boy bed. Eeeeeeeeeeek! W made the transition last weekend after the Health Visitor suggested it The Night Terrors he's been having could be triggered or helped by the fact he was couped in a cot with bars surrounding him. We have had sucess with sleeping all night. He can also get up and play in the mornings which means Husband and I can relax for a whle before getting up to him. The only downside is getting him to sleep in the evenings. It's a 2 hour task. He will be up down up down for the duration and finally gives in around 9pm. He is placid the whole time but I'd rather he be sleeping at 8pm than playing trains with Bob the Bear. Any tips?

Where do the months go? No really, how is it that I find myself sat here almost 6 months since my last blog?
Life has been busy, filled with all sorts to be honest. I'll lay it all out on bullet point lest I find myself forgetting milestones and important stuff.

• Oliver is almost 19 months. Can you believe it? That little boy has grown into a fully fledges toddler. Along with such comes the temper. The boy can throw a paddy like no other. Thankfully I've yet to see this occur in public but it's only a matter of time. I recall an ad for Vicks nasal spray a few years back. It happens I know and it'll happen to me just you wait.

• He has been the picture of good health.. until this past week when the dreaded gastro bug appeared. The boy was beside himself. Husband struggles with vomit so was making himself scarce a little too often for my liking but heck, I'll clean every drop of toddle vomit if it means I don't have to clean up adult vomit too.

• Speech is a key milestone right now. Favourites are: "Ta" which I am very proud of him for learning so rapidly. He says it to everyone who hands him anything, along withpointing at the fridge when he wants cheese. "UH-OH", "Oh no!", "Mama" & "Daddy" along with various small attempts at everyday words. He often says "What's this?" but it comes out as "sissss?"

• He is still in small clothes thanks to his petiteness. He stands no chance of growing beyond 5ft 5" thanks to his genetic make up but it means I save money in the long run. A good friend has a little girl 2 weeks older than Oliver who is stretching some 2-3 yr clothing. I believe they're taking out a second mortgage to clothe here over the Summer.

• He still attend Nursery once a week. It is for the social interaction (but I don't complain at having 6 hours to myself on a Friday). He moves up to the next class in a few months and I'm nervous as he has a good strong bond with the ladies in the "Tiddlers" room. However there are friends of his (that he plays with other days of the week) that are going along with him so that's reassuring.

• Feeding is good. He is on a bottle of milk each evening at bed time. 4oz if he's thirsty but it is a routine we like and he isn't complaining so I'm in no hurry to take it from him. His love of food is vast. He'll eat most things but we are struggling with vegetables. No flies on him, he'll spot them even in their smallest form.
  

As for me, well I have a job. 4 hours 5 evenings a week which has been really useful with Husbands shifts as this way we need no childcare. A huge bonus for our bank accounts. I like the job. It's not exactly challenging as such but it gets me out of the house and within adult conversations each night so I'm happy and it gives Husband a few hours to himself once Oliver has retreated to his bed so it's a win win all round really. If they offer me more working hours I'll bite their hand off but for now we are ticking over.

I have officially joined the dieters bandwagon. I joined W.eight W.atchers in November. It was a friend taking me to a meeting that made me realise I can do it. For years I had dismissed WW as another gimmicky way of shelling out no end of £££'s. However, I have stuck with it and although I have a mammoth amount to lose (5 uk stone - 36kilos) I am determined and this far I have shifted 24 lbs (UK.. I'm aware there is a difference to US lbs). Quite a target isn't it?! I aim to lose this by Christmas 2012.

Well, I'll sign off for now.. so much to mention but there is a big basket of ironing with my name on it.

How are you and what have you been up to lately?

I would normally say something like "Has it really been 3 months since I last blogged?" but I am fully aware of the time that has passed since the last post. I wouldn't even say that time has got away from me, for I've been unemployed since the end of June so let's face it, it's not like I've had anything else particularity pressing to do. Or have I?

The long and short of the job situ is this. The chap who offered me the job guaranteed I'd not be required to work weekends. Only when I got there and it came to the crunch, the manager and her direct boss told me otherwise. The big cheese didn't come to my defence so I walked. Actually I walked after a heated phone discussion with the boss but hey.

"Your child is sick? Like I give a damn, get to work"
"I'm sorry I have no way of getting in"
"You need to come in"
"I'm sorry I really can't"
"You need to come in"
"Look, I can't" - I'd gone past apologising by this point.

This conversation went on for a whole until I told her to get lost, in more subtle terms. My letter of resignation was received by the big cheese 2 days later.

I have been job hunting since, without much luck.

In other news, Oliver turned one last month. I struggle to believe sometimes that my baby boy is one.
We celebrated with a small gathering of mine and Husbands family. His folks were over for the week anyway staying with us.
We then had a party for him with his friends. 13 one year olds tearing around my back garden was a sight to be seen.

He is walking confidently. Sometimes a little too quick, almost running which invariably ends up with tears when he strikes the ground. We have some words. "Mama" being the main one. He rarely says "Dadda" but knows DH and points to him when I ask where Dadda is. Other words in the boys' vocabulary are "Dog", "Ruff" (to accompany the former), "ta", and my favourite "Oh no!". Seems that was an easy one for him to pick up.
There are still 8 visible teeth in his mouth. I know the back teeth are brewing. He has the classic teething signs yet again. Poor mite.

We have arranged to visit the inlaws for the festive season this year. They have bought our tickets and we fly out 21st Dec to return 5th Jan. 2 weeks in Eastern Europe should be nice. Their week over here last month made them realise they miss Oliver so much. I doubt they regret their emigration but I can see it hurts them that they don't see him more often.
To get us airborne of course, the boy needs a passport:



Cute huh?