Turn on the dark

December «previous »2004

The festive season brings the annual fight to create enough space for the many presents by recycling those out of favour. Claire helped me with hers a couple of months ago. David's toys need a different tact, stealth is the order of the day.

We can heartily recommend the Lakeside & Hatherwaithe Steam Railway Santa Claus special. Both kids enjoyed it and the adults found it pleasant enough.

Well Bratz were a big hit with the young girls including Claire and our little boy is very much enjoying his workbench and the tools, with the saw a firm favourite.

Xmas Steam Train

November «previous next»

Wow! Two sentences in one go. He can really put some slice on a shot with the football. Hey! We have our first christmas with the little one perhaps understanding something this time around. A recent joy is this liking of Wallace and Gromit. He is really picking up our phrases so care has to be taken but as any parent knows that ain't easy.

October «previous next»

You get the feeling his cute phase is over, not that his mother agrees. What we get now is more 'terrible twos'. He is apt to kick more than any football he sees unfortunately!

Favourite phrase: "don't like it"

He is really into 'Dora the Explorer' on Nick Junior. He answers many of the questions well. His running is pretty reliable but for the poor soul trying to keep an eye on him, rather quick!

Month 24 - September«previous next»

And this month brings us to the bed. We can now ask him about his day and get a story of sorts. He understands 'two' and sometimes shares this food with you (whether you wish it or not!).

So far he has not fallen out the bed but then the old Berlin wall has found a new home! As you use bits of it to prop up one end.

Month 23, August«previous next»

He is getting too clever for his own good now. He will try and request various things to avoid the going to sleep bit and he tries to play one parent off against the other. But really he is a wonderful child and come the wedding, a treasure, and star of the show, to some it seemed. He has mastered the slide in the playgrounds we use. His words form sentences and they include some verbs now. A favourite is the "I am out" to mean he wants out of the car or chair.

Morecambe has some lovely beaches for crab hunting and we visit them all year around. This august was no different and it was warm enough for shorts!

nature in the bowland forest

Month 22, July«previous next»

More words, more phrases, a little bit more comprehension! We get please and excuse me more often. The hot summer nights have not helped him get to sleep. He enjoys drawing and has gained a favourite video. The house now reverberates to calls of 'engine'! Thomas the Tank Engine has arrived, occasionally pipped by Postman Pat or the Telly Tubbies.

Month 21, June«previous next»

This month brings a few three word sentences, well phrases any way.

Some of these include:

• "a big piece"
• "all right then"
• "one for daddy"

He brushed his own teeth this month and given the opportunity fetches the fruit juice from the fridge for you (and him). He's not adverse to also fetching himself a mousse.

in the conversatory with a brick

Month 20, May«previous next»

His first visit to A&E - he moved a piece of slab propping open a shed door. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when we went in. We dropped everything so the garden was a picture on our return several hours later. The hospital were great, delays not too bad and Claire only just entered the 'bored' zone before we left.

Boys will be boys, he has of course added several further scrapes to his head and caught impetigo!

Month 19, April«previous next»

More injuries to his forehead caused by low flying tables! His football skills are coming along great. He can kick his ball and yell loudly when connects well. Rooney. Pah!

His coordination is also coming along nicely he can throw over arm but catching is beyond him. Something else he has yet to master is jumping- he's a bit like an elephant - he can make the right motions but there's no way he's leaving the ground.

Current vocabulary has a preponderance of 'Daddy', 'hot', 'bye', and 'Claire'. The first of these is used for no explainable reason often but best of all is his current trend of referring to his mother as 'Muddy' or 'Daddy'.

Month 18, March«previous next»

Had his first teeth check-up and he was great, nearly got all his teeth. Got a scare on his bottom lip due to a fall at the child minder's - kids will be kids.

He has also banged his forehead on a concrete slab when he leaned over too far when examining a stone on the ground.

He can string a few words together now, but no sentences yet.

David and I walk into town. The weather is so nice we can enjoy a gingerbread man on the grass in the Park.

Playing computer games with Grandma

Month 17, February«previous next»

Well it seems the gibberish from the little man is getting more intelligible by the day - well at least that is what we think!

Month 16, January«2002 next month»

More teeth, more pain, more sleep disturbed nights.  We are getting more words too, cat and dog are still prevalent but other animals get a look in too including cow and sheep.

Eating is still mainly a hands on (in) affair with occasional use of spoons or forks.

Cycling into work means a ride along the river and then up through the park before I join the traffic and start the fight with the powered vehicles. Mostly it is a pleasant enough journey only marred by dog owners who think it is fine to trail their leads across the path or allow their dogs to jump up at the cyclists. The british public has very little respect for cycle paths; not helped by councils that care more for adding a few yards to their cycle path statistics than creating one single good cycle lane. That is the modern government target culture for you.

This month these obstacles are joined by pedestrians just walking into the road. The pavement has been closed by the council to allow some building work (a new restaurant that ultimately failed) to completely block it.

We took a wander up to Williamson Park and up the Ashton Memorial while it wasn't too wet or cold.

Playing in front of a visiting Mummer